


Cannonball

by Potterhead2468



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, AnderBros, Background Relationships, Bi Jeff, Blaine has PTSD, Blaine has a stutter, Blaine has panic attacks, Blaine! wears! eyeliner!, Dalton Academy, Dalton is a castle, Disabled Character, Eventual Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Sadie Hawkins Dance, Slow Burn, So do some of the other characters, The Warblers - Freeform, The boys cause a lot of trouble, Wesley has a girlfriend, a very slow burn, also anxiety. Blaine has a bit of anxiety, hurt!blaine, is mentioned, past self harm, protective!Cooper, there's a lot of oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-08-16 03:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 77,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8085640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterhead2468/pseuds/Potterhead2468
Summary: "And now I will start living today, today, todayI close the doorI got this new beginning and I will flyI'll fly like a cannonball"Blaine was broken when he arrived at Dalton. Left a shell of the boy he used to be by an incident that almost took his life. But Blaine had his brother, he had Cooper and the Warblers and a group of boys who called themselves the Marauders, who managed to make him smile, make him open up, and helped him find a home at Dalton. Enter Kurt Hummel. A boy who had dealt with more crap at his high school than anyone should ever have to. A boy who was inches from breaking but was still holding on. Just waiting for something to change his life for the better. That something was Dalton Academy. Or more specifically, that something was a group of boys at Dalton Academy. The Marauders. Kurt isn't exactly sure what he's getting into when he agrees to join them in their misadventures, but he figures if it could result in him getting closer to Blaine he could put up with a little bit of trouble. Or a lot of trouble, considering within his first 48 hours at the school he has already been placed into detention with the boys.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I've been working on for a long time. The idea came to me sort of out of nowhere, and I've been writing it basically since then.  
> A couple things: The first chapter is set up basically as a background, you know everything that has led up to the main part of the story, and it's mostly stylized as "Blaine remembers", because it's basically his memories?  
> The next couple of chapters will tackle his first year with at Dalton, meeting the Warblers, and you know him learning how to live after the Sadie Hawkins dance, which I mean really messes him up.  
> And then, by Chapter 10, maybe sooner, we should see the entrance Kurt and there will begin the meat of the story.  
> There's also going to be a good bit of Niff in this story, I already have basically an entire chapter planned out just for them, and plenty of other cute moments along the way, so never fear.  
> And yeah, that's about it I think.  
> I hope you enjoy.  
> (Oh, this is also unedited because my friend that normally edits my stories has only just started watching Glee and I don't want to spoil anything for her. So if you see any mistakes let me know please).

Blaine Anderson was 3 when he experienced his first lost in life. His baby sister Julia was hardly a few days old when she died without any explanation. There was no one to blame yet blame ran high through the family. Blaine doesn't remember much about her actual death, but he remembers what happened after.  
  
Remembers how his father stormed from the house the night they buried her and didn't come back for two days, yelling and drunk, blaming Pam Anderson for the lost of their daughter. Blaine remembered the way the screams filled the house and scared him until he was sneaking into the room of 7-year-old Cooper, who held him tightly and drowned the noise out with stories and songs, until Blaine was asleep and the night forgotten.  
  
Blaine remembers watching his mother slip away from them, remembers watching as first the smiles disappeared then herself, as she started staying more and more locked in her room, unable to even get out of bed most mornings.  
  
Blaine remembers watching his father become more and more lost in his work and his anger, not coming home until late at night if he came home at all, yelling and screaming, very often drunk. He scared Blaine when he saw him like this, and it was those nights that gave him nightmares.  
  
Blaine remembers how 8 year old Cooper became his life line and his rock. He remembers the nights Cooper would tuck him into bed and read the stories no one ever else had the time to. Blaine remembers the mornings Cooper would wake him up in the morning and help him get ready, how they would fix breakfast together, how Coop would walk him to Preschool afterwards and kiss his head and promise to see him in the afternoon. He remembers nights full of pizzas and takeout ordered by Cooper and payed by the card he stole from their mother.  
  
Blaine remembers Cooper trying to build Christmas that year. Remembers digging out the Christmas tree together and decorating the best an 8 year old and a 5 year old could. He remembers making cookies and presents for each other, leaving them under the tree until Christmas morning.  
  
Blaine remembers learning Santa wasn't real, and how it upset Cooper more than him that he couldn't keep the magic alive. Blaine remembers hugging Coop and kissing him on the cheek, promising it was okay and that as long as he had a big brother, he had all the magic he needed.  
  
Blaine remembers walking with Cooper to his sisters grave a year after her death and decorating it with flowers. He remembers looking from the stone to his brother before asking him quietly "C-Coop, you won't die l-like Julia r-right?"  
  
Cooper shook his head, slowly and sadly, placing a kiss on Blaine's head as they started to walk away "Not for a very long time Blainey."  
  
Blaine remembers Cooper's 9th birthday like it was yesterday. Remembers trying to make him breakfast just like Pam used to do, remembers feeling so proud that he could make the waffle batter all by himself.  
  
Blaine remembers his first time trying to make waffles and the fire it almost caused. He remembers Cooper running into the kitchen half awake at the smell of burnt food, remembers his brother pulling him away from the waffle maker and shutting it off, smoke pouring from the machine. Remembers Coop throwing open windows and the two of them trying to fan the smoke out of the house, Cooper running to shut off the fire alarm when it went off.  
  
Blaine remembers when it was all over the way Cooper scolded him, 9 year old arms wrapping around a five year old body as he told his little brother firmly to never try that again. Blaine remembers apologizing and the way Coop softened when he explained he just wanted to make his birthday special. The smile he gave Blaine in return was enough to let the boy know he'd done just that.  
  
Blaine remembers his first day of Kindergarten walking into the building next behind Cooper and just feeling so small. He remembers how most other kids were saying goodbye to parents, but he and Coop were alone, and it drew the teachers attention. Blaine remembers Ms. Kelley too, how nice and sweet she was when she came over to ask where their parents were. He remembers Cooper stuttering to explain they were at work, the suspicious look Ms. Kelley gave them, and the feel of Coop's arms around him as she walked away.  
  
Blaine remembers his first day of school and how he hid behind Cooper and clung to his brother, too scared to let him go because "W-What if the o-other k-kids don't l-like me?"  
  
"Blaine Anderson," Cooper had said seriously, crouching just slightly to look his brother in the eye. "The other kids will love you. Just be yourself."  
  
Blaine remembers loving Kindergarten more than anything. They would read, learn the alphabet, count numbers, and the best part was, he was the best student! Ms. Kelley always told him this, and by Christmas she was even giving him work from 1st grade!  
  
Blaine remembers showing Cooper and how proud his brother was, remembers how they celebrated by walking down the street to get ice cream for dinner. And afterwards they watched Disney movies and laughed and when Blaine got too tired Coop helped him upstairs and tucked him and read a story. Blaine remembers he fell asleep that night grinning, because he had the bestest big brother in the world.  
  
Blaine remembers how in school, Cooper was his answer for everything. 'Who's your best friend?' Coop. 'Who's your favorite superhero?' My brother. 'What's your favorite thing in the whole world?' Easy, it was Cooper.  
  
Cooper was always the answer, Blaine loved and respected his brother more than anything. Cooper was his rock, and when Ms. Kelley laughingly asked Blaine, after another answer of Cooper to the question 'If you could be anyone in the world who would you be?', why he loved his brother so much Blaine said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "Because C-Cooper is the b-bestest person in th-the entire world. H-He plays wi-wiith me and hel-helps m-me with my homework and t-tucks m-me into bed and kisses my boo-boos and h-he feeds me breakfast and di-dinner and he p-packs me l-lunch and he reads m-me stories and he keeps me safe from d-daddy when he ge-gets m-mad and dr- dr-u-nk. He just does everything Ms. Kelley, h-he's amazing! I-I love him soooo m-much."  
  
It was an innocent enough of an answer, and an entirely truthful one that Blaine was sure would make anyone proud but seemed to concern Ms. Kelley just slightly. She frowned, looked Blaine up and down and then asked gently if he 'Could please stay after class for a few minutes? I want to talk to Cooper.'  
  
Blaine remembers the day he and Cooper were asked by Ms. Kelley where their parents were. He remembers how Cooper tried so hard to convince her that nothing was wrong at their house, his voice  scared and small in a way Blaine had never heard before and never wanted to hear again.  
  
Blaine remembers the lady that came to the school to get him and Cooper. The sun was starting to go down by the time she came to take them home, and sitting in the back seat beside his brother, Blaine remembers the first thing he asked was "C-Coop, c-can we have pizza when we get home? I'm h-hungry."  
  
"We're not staying at home Blainey." Cooper replied, looking sort of sad as he ruffled his brother's hair affectionately. "We're going to get some things and Mrs. Peggy is going to take us somewhere."  
  
"Oh." Blaine frowned slightly, swinging his legs thoughtfully for a moment before asking "Mrs. Peggy, wh-where are we going? C-can we have pizza there?"  
  
"How about we stop after you grab your stuff for some pizza?" Peggy asked, grinning at the boys in the review and laughing slightly when she saw the way Blaine lit up when he heard her. "As for your other question, you're going to stay with my sister Eliza. She keeps kids like you and Cooper whose parents aren't doing a very good job of being parents."  
  
"C-Cooper says t-that mommy is too s-sad t-that Julia died to take care of us." Blaine said matter-of-factly, nodding his head. "And d-daddy works all the t-time and is always dr-u-nk."  
  
"We're going to get your mommy some help, don't worry. And your daddy." Peggy replied, glancing again in the mirror, this time to look at Cooper, who looked both relieved and slightly worried at the prospect. "Don't worry, there's lots of people who need help just like them. They'll be in good hands."  
  
Blaine remembers Cooper helping him pack a bag the afternoon, full of his favorite clothes and books and al the stuff they needed for school, Blaine's favorite cd full of Disney music, and of course his stuffed dog named Sebastian after his favorite movie.  
  
Blaine remembers leaving the house holding hands with Cooper and feeling scared, though he didn't know why exactly at the time. They stopped in the driveway and Cooper looked at the house one last time, squeezing Blaine's hand softly and, as if reading his brothers mind, Cooper said "Everything's going to be okay Blainey. We're going to be safe now."  
  
Blaine was 6 and Cooper was 9 and they had spent a month with Ms. Eliza when in the middle of February Pam came to bring them home.  
  
Blaine still remembers the day. He had been sitting at the table with Cooper and a few other kids doing homework and laughing when he heard a knock on the door. Ms. Eliza was in the bathroom so Cooper, the oldest and most mature of the kids, got up to answer the door and naturally Blaine followed.  
  
"Mommy!!" Blaine remembers screaming when he saw Pam at the door, launching himself at his mom which made her laugh, bending to catch both him and Cooper, who followed his brother with the hugs.  
  
Blaine remembers that day because it was the first time he remembers hearing her laugh, seeing her smile. Blaine was 6 but he had hardly any memories of his mom that did not include her locked in her room, though he knew he loved her very much regardless.  
  
Blaine remembers how Pam helped him pack his bag that day, listening to him talk and tell her everything she missed, including that "Mrs. Kelley s-says that I-I should j-just skip 1st grade c-cause I'm so smart and just go to second grade. I didn't know people could do that but C-Cooper said that he did. I wanna be just like Cooper, so I told Mrs. Kelley I-I wanted to skip grades too. She said I had to ask you first, because you're in charge. C-can I skip 1st grade mommy?"  
  
"I'll talk to your teacher about it and we'll see, okay Blaine?" Pam replied, laughing quietly as she listened to the boy go on and on, jumping from topic to topic as he told her everything he could think of.  
  
Blaine remembers how returning home the first few days were nice, how the three of them functioned so perfectly as a family. It was the first time he could ever remember things in their house working as they should, with Pam getting up early to make breakfast instead of Cooper, driving them to and from school instead of having them walk, dinners that were actual food and not just take out.  
  
Blaine remembers how it all started falling apart the day their dad came back. Devon wasn't drinking anymore, but the fights between him and Pam had only gotten worse as a result. Blaine remembers singing songs with Cooper to drown out the noise, building blanket forts to hide from the danger and anger downstairs.  
  
Blaine remembers the day in April when Devon Anderson stormed out of the house after a very long and loud fight, and Pam collapsed on the couch in sobs. He remembers standing on the stairs with Cooper, watching, scared, asking his big brother "I-Is mommy g-going to be sad f-for a long time again?"  
  
Blaine remembers how his brother didn't answer, but Pam did. As if she heard Blaine she sat up, wiped her eyes and shook her head determined. She wasn't going to leave her boys again.  
  
Blaine was 6 and Cooper was 9 when their parents divorced and Devon Anderson moved back home to Ohio.  
  
Blaine remembers watching him go and not feeling sad, because he had all the family he could need right here: Blaine, Cooper, and their mom Pan.  
  
Blaine remembers the next 4 years as the best ones in his life. The only ones where he felt safe and happy and like a family. Things were simple, things were easy, things were as they should be.  
  
Blaine was 10 and Cooper was 13 and they both vividly remember the day Pam Anderson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors told her she'd be lucky to live 4 months, they didn't think she'd make it more than 2.  
  
Blaine remembers how his mother lived 6 more months after her diagnoses, longer than the doctors ever hoped for. He remembers those 6 months as the most bittersweet time of his life, everyday a waiting game. He remembers making plans on what would happen after, remembers talking to his father for the first time since he left and how the call ended with Cooper in angry tears, screaming at Devon Anderson that he hated him for everything he did, for abandoning them twice and forcing Cooper to be a dad to Blaine because he wouldn't.  
  
Blaine remembers how he hugged Cooper so tightly when he hung up the phone, trying to comfort his brother the way Coop would always comfort him. Blaine remembers Cooper laying his head on top of his, tears falling into his black hair as they sat in silence until finally Blaine, his voice small and slightly scared, asked "Coop, do you hate me because I took away your childhood?"  
  
Blaine remembers how Cooper pulled away, his tears stopping as he stared down at his brother with wide eyes, smiling softly at the boy and answering "I could never hate you Blainey. You're my baby brother, and even though you can be annoying sometimes, I still love you death."  
  
Blaine remembers two days later rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night, when they got the call that Pam's condition was rapidly dropping. He remembers how the doctors tried to keep him out because he was too young, but Cooper forced their way in.  
  
Blaine remembers being 11 and Cooper 14, and hearing the last thing Pam Anderson said to her two sons before fading from this world. "Hold on to each other. No matter what. Have. Courage."  
  
....  
  
Blaine remembers his mothers death but he hardly remembers the week that followed it, the funeral, the packing, the saying goodbye. All he remembers is feeling numb, the world passing by in a blur of pain and tears and fears. Remembers how he and Cooper spent a lot of time just the two of them alone, often not speaking but just sitting and thinking and existing together.  
  
Blaine remembers the day he and Cooper left home forever, to move across the country to a father that didn't love them. He remembers Cooper, who refused to speak to Devon Anderson when he picked them up at the airport, wouldn't even look at him except to glare once, walked by Blaine instead and only talked softly to reassure his brother things were going to be okay.  
  
Blaine remembers arriving at his father's house and gaping at its size. It was twice the size of their old house, had more rooms than one man, or even the family of three now, could ever need. And it was grand too, it looked like a fancy house and Blaine remembers sticking close to Cooper as they walked because he was afraid of breaking something.  
  
Blaine remembers how he and Cooper chose bedrooms on the third floor, side by side, the furthest they could get away from their dad. He remembers how Devon Anderson tried to convince them to spread out, they had so much room now, but they both preferred to be together and they knew how to function side by side better than anything.  
  
Blaine remembers the first day Cooper talked, or well rather screamed at, their father. Three days after they arrived Devon Anderson called Cooper into his office. Blaine remembers how he sat on the stairs just above the room, listening, waiting.  
  
Cooper wasn't in there two minutes when the shouting started, wasn't much long before he was storming out of the room and up the stairs, grabbing Blaine's arm as he passed to pull him up and behind, and Blaine had to take the stairs two at a time to keep up but he was glad to do it if it meant finding out what was upsetting his brother.  
  
Blaine remembers how once they were inside Cooper's room, he took a seat on his brother's bed but Coop started to pace, ranting and raving and crying about something Blaine could hardly understand.  
  
Blaine remembers when Cooper finally calmed down and told him exactly what happened.  
  
"It started with dad scolding me for my 'childish behavior' these past few days and how I needed to 'man up'." Cooper sat across from Blaine and he could just see the frustration pouring off of his big brother as he talked. "He then told me that he's going to send me to a private boarding school for that exact reason. It's only down the street and I'll be able to come home on the weekends and if I need to some nights, but that's not why we started arguing."  
  
Cooper sighed then, running a hand through his hair before looking down at Blaine, his face softening slightly. "You know I love you no matter what Blainey. There's nothing that could make me stop loving you okay? I promise."  
  
"I know Coop. I love you too." Blaine reached over, hugging his brother tightly for a moment before pulling away, biting his lip as he looked down. "What did dad say to make you so upset?"  
  
"He said, and I quote, 'Now I don't want you to go mixing with any homosexuals while you're at this school. The last thing I need is for those abominations to try and corrupt my son.'" Blaine inhaled sharply, his eyes widening slightly as he listened to Cooper. No, no their father couldn't be homophobic, surely not, he used to live in San Fransisco, there was no way...  
  
Cooper saw the way his baby brother tensed up and he felt his heart clench. Because he knew, of course he knew, even though Blaine had never said anything to him, he could read him better than anyone, of course he knew Blaine was gay. And it hurt him to see his brother scared, and it hurt him to hear their father imply he would never accept his youngest son, which is why "That's when I started yelling at him. Said he was the abomination, not them. We started fighting, would have fought for longer but he slammed his hand on the table and yelled 'No son of mind is going to be a fag or hanging out with any!' And that's when I ran out. I couldn't, I couldn't just sit there and listen to him hate on you any longer Blaine. He didn't even realize it either. God that's what really gets me. He's so afraid one of is gay that he's trying to scare us away from it, but he doesn't understand it's not a choice."  
  
"Coop," Blaine said softly, cutting off Cooper's rant with a shaking voice and trembling hands that rested just on top of Cooper's, searching for the comfort he so desperately needed. "Coop I-I, I-I'm ,I'm g-g-gay."  
  
"It's okay Blainey, I know. I've always known." Cooper's reply was instant, arms wrapping his brother's shaking body, pulling Blaine into a tight and loving hug. "It's never made any difference to me. I knew you'd figure it out on your own time."  
  
"You really don't care?" Blaine asked, any last trace of doubt erased the instant Cooper shook his head and smiled. Of course he knew, Cooper always knew everything.  
  
"As long as you're happy squirt, I couldn't care less who you dated." Cooper promised, ruffling Blaine's hair fondly, laughing when the younger boy slapped his hands away. "I'm going to give them all the same talk anyways. Let them know they better treat you right or I'll treat them with my fist."  
  
"Cooper!" Blaine cried, pulling away from his brother so he could shove him, blushing slightly, but he was grinning. They started to bicker over it, whether it was right for Cooper to possibly scare off everyone who wanted to date Blaine, in the teasing way brothers always fought.  
  
Blaine was 11 and Cooper was 14 and he remembers the day he came out as the day they found a new normal. One where they relied on each other and didn't speak to their father hardly ever, where Cooper would disappear to school during the week but spend every weekend with his baby brother who attended the local middle school and was a general genius. One where Blaine was pushed around a bit for liking to sing and act, but learned to hold his own against the other boys and joined the soccer team because he was good.  
  
There wasn't a day that went by that Blaine and Cooper didn't miss their mom, but they learned to move on. They learned how to be okay.  
  
That all fell apart a few years later.  
  
It was Spring Break when Blaine first remembers hearing the rumor. He was 13 and Cooper was 16, but even after all these years they still liked having ice cream for dinner because it made them feel like kids again.  
  
Walking into the store, Blaine remembers just knowing something was up. People were pointing, giggling, sneering, the cashier wouldn't even look at him and would only take the money from Cooper because "I don't want that fag to give me something."  
  
Blaine froze when he heard the words, a wave of fear crashing over him. No, no surely they didn't know. They couldn't know. Maybe he just misheard, maybe this was all a big misunderstanding.  
  
But if the rage that was practically radiating off Cooper was any indication it wasn't, and that thought alone made Blaine shake slightly. He had been so careful not to let anyone know, so careful to stay in the closet and now....  
  
Cooper partially dragged him out of the store that day, and as they left Blaine couldn't help but looking back. Seeing the look on the cashiers face, a look directed scared him to death. At the same time it made him angry, and so as they walked out Blaine squared his shoulders and sucked in a deep breath, raising his chin just slightly. He wasn't going to let this get to him.  
  
And as they walked down the streets with Cooper still very much upset, Blaine started to notice all the looks being thrown his way. He even heard a few people yelling slurs at him like 'fag' and 'abomination'. Though they made Cooper seethe, Blaine found himself unable to care as much.  
  
He was gay, he was proud, he was apparently out now, and though it wasn't how he planned on it going, it was the way things were. And getting angry would change nothing.  
  
Blaine remembers the day he first heard the rumor he was gay, and he remembers looking at all the faces as they walked and almost feeling pity for them that they were so stupid, so close minded. He remembers licking his ice cream cone thoughtfully, looking up at his brother, and saying "You know Coop, I really feel sorry for them. The ones that make fun of me."  
  
Cooper looked down at his brother in a mixture of shock and curiosity, all traces of anger gone as waited for Blaine to continue. "Prejudice is just ignorance, you know?"  
  
"How did you get so wise squirt?" Cooper chuckled softly, ruffling Blaine's hair despite the protest, smiling just a bit.  
  
As Blaine pushed him away, he smiled, elbowing Cooper lightly in the side. "I had the best teacher in the world. You."  
  
....  
  
Blaine remembers the Sadie Hawkins dance because it was a day burned into the back of his mind. One of fear and pain, that almost ended in death. It was the day he felt something inside him break.  
  
Blaine remembers how they never saw the attack coming. How could they? It was dark, their backs were turned to the school, the boys practically came out of nowhere. Attacked Blaine and his friend, Ethan, from behind. There was no warning, no lead up like there usually was with the bullies.  
  
Blaine remembers seeing death in their eyes. He remembers the feeling of feet kicking against his ribs and Ethan's cries and the angry words spat at them. Blaine remembers apologizing to Cooper over and over in his head for abandoning him, so sure he was going to die in the parking lot. He remembers curses, and the sound of footsteps running away, the last thing Blaine heard before passing out.  
  
.....  
  
Blaine doesn't remember the four days he spent in a coma after the attack, doesn't remember Cooper sitting by his side that entire time, day and night, praying his baby brother would be safe. He doesn't remember the fight Cooper and Devon Anderson had just outside his hospital room over Blaine being gay, that resulted in Devon being kicked from the room and the hospital indefinitely.  
  
Blaine remembers waking up. To Cooper sitting beside him, one hand holding his brother's, absently singing "Not While I'm Around". He remembers how Coop's voice shook slightly when Blaine managed to squeeze his hand, how it faded out almost completely when Blaine finally opened his eyes.  
  
"Nothing's can harm you. Not while I'm around." Cooper's voice was shaking, barely above a whisper as he finished, smiling slightly as Blaine squeezed his hand again, looking around slowly. "I'm so sorry Blainey. I should have been there to protect you."  
  
"S'not your fault." Blaine dismissed the thought, his voice slightly scratchy from not using it in four days. He squinted his eyes, looking around the room. "Where are we anyways?"  
  
"Columbus. Westerville doesn't have any real hospitals, so they airlifted you over here. Dad and I drove up here after you." Cooper explained, watching as Blaine looked towards the door, like he was waiting for something. "I'm sorry B, but he left. W-We got in a fight when he found out you were gay, and he got kicked out, a-and I haven't seen him since."  
  
Blaine's face fell slightly, and he looked away from the door, sighing. He should have known, Devon Anderson would never accept him. At least, at least he had Cooper. Blaine looked back up, giving his brother a weak smile and shaking his head. "Forget about it Coop. We knew dad would be like this. It's why we didn't tell. At least, you're here."  
  
Blaine squeezed his brother's hand, shifting positions so he could look at Cooper better, hissing in pain when he did. "Shit, okay that hurts. A lot."  
  
"Language." Cooper admonished, earning a light chuckle from Blaine, which was cut off quickly when pain washed over him. "Are you okay?"  
  
Blaine shrugged, doing his best not to let his pain show when he moved. "How bad is it?"  
  
"Pretty bad squirt. You sure you want to know? " Cooper looked down a bit guiltily when Blaine nodded, absently rubbing his thumb across the back of Blaine's hand. "There was, we spent the first 24 hours thinking you were going to die because, there was a lot of swelling in your brain. And it kept getting worse. They said if it didn't start going down, they'd have to do surgery, to release the pressure. It was, not even an hour after they said that, the pressure started to decrease. It was like a miracle, the doctors had no explanation why it stopped or went away, but it did."  
  
"The doctors think it must have been caused by all the injuries to your face. Y-Your nose is broken, and there's a couple of cuts all over your face, and there's a hairline fracture just here." Cooper ran his hand gently across the left side of Blaine's forehead, where the fracture was and sighed a little. "Your face was really swollen when you first came in, your nose especially, i-it was hard to even tell who you were. It went down after a couple of days, don't worry, but it was pretty bad there for a while."  
  
"You've also got four broken ribs and three fractured ones, two of them actually pierced the skin when they broke so they had to do surgery to fix it, you're probably always going to have a scar there now." Cooper let out a shaky breath, frowning as his eyes traveled down to Blaine's chest. He still remembers when he first same him, blood covering his face and torso, passed out from the pain, unmoving so that he looked dead. He was almost dead.  
  
Cooper shook his head suddenly, pushing the thought from his mind because it was the last thing he needed to think about right now. Blaine was here, alive, and he needed his brother to  be brave. "You've been in a coma for four days B. The doctors had no idea when you were going to wake up, if you were even going to wake up. I was terrified that at any second you would die, which I know is stupid because you were breathing just fine on your own and you were getting better, but I just, every time I looked at you I would see the worst."  
  
"It's probably because you feel guilty." Blaine said softly, rubbing small circles onto the back of his brother's hand as he talked. "But it's not your fault Coop. I promise. There was nothing you could have done to stop them. You weren't there."  
  
"But I should have been! I should've – I'm you're big brother Blaine. I'm supposed to be there to protect you from harm no matter what." Cooper protested, placing his head in his hands and shaking it slowly. "I'm so sorry B."  
  
"Well you can't change the past now can you?" Blaine asked, trying desperately to sit up so he could talk to his brother better, but the movement only said pain rippling across his torso, and he let out a quiet cry that had Cooper shooting out of his chair and gently forcing Blaine to lay back down.  
  
"Blaine Devon Anderson what do you think you're doing?!" Cooper scolded, his tone full more of fear then anger, though Blaine could see the seriousness in his eyes, and smiled sheepishly through the pain, which he was now extremely aware of.  
  
"I was trying to comfort you." Blaine retorted, his smile turning into a grimace as he felt a particularly sharp jab of pain in his side when he shifted even slightly. Between clenched teeth, and wanting to lighten the atmosphere a little, he added "Clearly it didn't work."  
  
"Clearly." Cooper snorted sarcastically, shaking his head at his brother in slight disbelief. "I'm going to get the doctor before you try something else stupid."  
  
Cooper started walking towards the door, pausing to look back at Blaine, who was doing his best to keep a smile despite the pain he felt. Coop sighed, giving the boy a small smile back when their eyes met. "I'll be right back, B."  
  
.....  
  
Blaine spent three weeks in the hospital after he woke.  
  
The first few days were spent recovering, teaching him and Cooper how to deal with the pain and treat the injuries, how to move on.  
  
The next two weeks were spent fighting pneumonia, that developed because of his ribs injuries and at one point had come seriously close to killing him.  
  
Even after it seemed to be gone, they kept him a few more days to be sure. After all, the attack had left him week. They didn't want to risk his life.  
  
Blaine remembers those weeks in the hospital as a blurred timeline of doctors and medicines, checkups and treatments and sleep. He slept more in those three weeks then he ever had, and still found himself feeling tired after even just a little movement. What time Blaine did spend awake was almost always with his brother, who never left his side in the hospital except for the two days he had to for finals at Dalton. Luckily he slept most of the time, and Cooper called him when he got free and Skyped him into the last Warbler practice of the year. And for the first time since the attack Blaine remembers laughing at Cooper and his friends, as they performed silly songs and danced and made crazy faces at one another.  
  
Blaine remembers how Coop froze when he heard his brother, then started laughing himself, and soon the entirety of the Warblers were cracking up and exchanging high fives and smiling, because they had done it. They had gotten that bright smile and happy laugh Cooper always talked about onto the face of a boy that had lost almost everything.  
  
Their excitement only made Blaine laugh more.  
  
....  
  
Blaine remembers that summer as the worst one in his life. One of endless nightmares, jumping at every little noise and flinching from every touch. One of twice weekly visits with a therapist he would never talk to, of a father that would hardly glance in his direction, and a worried big brother that became the only person Blaine would talk to. Even after the physical wounds faded to nothing but scars, the mental ones persisted, to the point where Blaine couldn't even walk out of the house without feeling like he was about to be attacked.  
  
Eventually Cooper started attending therapy when Blaine in hopes it would get his baby brother to open up, but the little he did speak was only directly to Cooper. Still, it was enough for a start, and a few days before the end of summer, they finally got a breakthrough. Blaine had been sitting on the couch very quietly, swinging his legs as they talked, listening, until he heard the word school and perked up a bit, saying suddenly "C-Cooper got me into D-Dalton Academy, where he goes."  
  
Cooper stopped mid-sentence in shock but the therapist, a kind lady named Dr. Jenny, just smiled at Blaine and asked him how he felt about going to school with his brother. Blaine shrugged, glancing at Cooper and then down at his feet "I-I know I'll be safe as long as C-Coop is around. And D-Dalton doesn't tolerate bullies at all."  
  
You could tell that just those words were like a weight of Blaine's shoulders, and it suddenly clicked in Dr. Jenny's mind why now was the time he started talking. "That must be nice, knowing that what happened to you can't happen again at this new school. Are you excited?"  
  
Blaine shrugged, looking down at his hands, thinking before finally he said very quietly "About l-leaving. D-Dalton's outside of the city, the opposite way fr-from our house. I-I d-don't like it here anymore."  
  
"Why not?" Dr. Jenny asked, writing something down before looking up, surprised to find Blaine staring at her for the first time, fear and hate and everything in between burning in his eyes.  
  
"Every single b-bit of this t-town is a b-bad memory. I-I can't walk outside m-my house without fearing I'm g-going to b-be jumped or k-killed or worse because those boys are still walking the streets, bought out of j-jail time by their stupid parents." Blaine sighed brokenly as he said the last part, looking back down at his hands as tears started to pool in his eyes. "I-I don't even feel safe at home. I-I keep waiting fo-for my d-dad t-to kick me out or send me to some stupid conversion camp or something. H-He wishes I-I had died, y-you can see it in his face every time h-he looks at m-me. I-I disgust him."  
  
"Oh B..." Cooper breathed softly, waiting until his brother was looking at him to pull him into a hug, his heart breaking slightly when he felt the tears against his shirt.  
  
"I-I j-just want to fe-feel safe again." Blaine cried, his words muffled against his brother's shoulder but Cooper still understood them. "I-I wa-walk around everyday ju-just t-terrified of everything, of everyone an-and I'm tired of it. I-I j-j-just want to be safe."  
  
"Blaine it sounds like you have some PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, from the attack." Dr. Jenny said gently, and Blaine slowly lifted his head to look at her, eyes wide and scared and shocked, but at the same time relieved because finally this demon that had been hanging over him had a name. "It's actually fairly common with assault victims such as yourself, and the good news is that now that we know, we can get started treating it. I'm going to change you to a new anxiety medication to see if this one works better than the last, and I want you to do something for me this week. You're going back to school Monday, right?"  
  
Blaine nodded, tilting his head slightly at Dr. Jenny, curious as she wrote something else down. "M-Monday is when we move in. Cl-Classes start on Tuesday th-though."  
  
"Even better." Dr. Jenny replied, tearing off a slip of paper from her pad and offering it to him. "When you go to school on Monday, I want you to do me a favor okay? I want you to try and walk around the school by yourself. You don't have to go far, but you need to do it without Cooper. If you start panicking, try to breath and remember you're safe."  
  
"You can go to the Warbler's practice room. No one will be there because meetings don't start until tomorrow, and you already know where it is." Cooper suggested when he saw the doubtful look on Blaine's face, the fear in his eyes  that faded into steely resolve, and slowly he nodded his head.  
  
"I-I can try." Blaine said finally, sitting up a little straighter and squaring his shoulders a bit. "I-I don't want to be scared anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note about Blaine: He was born with a stutter, but as he got older he attended speech therapy and learned to control it for the most part.   
> But after Sadie Hawkins, his stutter came back thanks in part to his anxiety, which made it difficult for him to talk at all, let alone without a stutter.   
> For the most part, he can talk to Cooper without a stutter because he feels safe with him, but around everyone, his stutter fluctuates. But it's there.   
> Later on in the story, Blaine will get control over his stutter again as he deals with his scars left behind by the Sadie Hawkins dance, and he learns to control his anxiety.   
> He always has it, he's just learned to control it.


	2. Welcome to Dalton Academy

Blaine remembers Cooper woke him up that morning to go to Dalton, his brother's face shining with excitement as shook him awake, rushed him into the bathroom for a shower and to get ready, so that they were sneaking out of the house with everything they would need to practically live at the school before the sun had hardly rose.  
  
They wanted to get out before Devon Anderson woke, for at this point his relationship with both boys were heavily strained and the last thing they needed was him adding to the stress as they left.  
  
So they snuck out at 7 that morning, Cooper's car already packed the night before, and they drove. Students weren't even allowed into Dalton for moving until 9, so they killed some time eating breakfast a restaurant just down the street from the school, but by the time they finished and were sitting outside the school it was still only 8:30.  
  
Blaine thought they were just going to to sit in the car until it was time, but the smirk on Cooper's face told him that was anything but the case. A fact proven true when a few minutes after they arrived Cooper was getting out of the car, closing the door gently and motioning for Blaine to follow him. Hesitantly he climbed out of the car, his phone clutched tightly in his hand like a safety blanket, his eyes wide as walked slowly around the car to where his brother stood.  
  
"Welcome to Dalton!" Cooper said with a dramatic flourish towards the building. "The best school in the state and home of the finest show choir group in history, The Warblers, who besides being incredible singers are also just incredible people."  
  
Cooper grinned as Blaine gaped at the school, which honestly looked more like a castle than a school, giving him a moment to stare before grabbing his arm and pulling him gently towards the front of the school. "If you think it looks great from here just wait until you get inside."  
  
"Inside? B-But the school isn't even open for another half hour." Blaine protested, trying and failing to stop his brother as he walked up the steps to the school, easily pulling the door open. "Coop, we could get in serious trouble for this."  
  
"Nah. I told the headmaster I might stop by early to tidy things up in the practice room." Cooper explained, smirking a bit as he led Blaine into the school, stopping just inside the main entrance so that he could look around. "We were just in it last week to elect the councilmen so it's actually pretty clean but still, he bought the excuse."  
  
"You lied?" Blaine asked, snapping out of his daze to glare slightly at his big brother unamused. Cooper grinned, ruffling Blaine's hair and laughing as his brother frantically slapped his hands away. "Cooper!"  
  
"You seriously put way too much gel in your hair." Cooper replied, slightly disgusted as he wiped his hand off on his pants. "And yes I lied but for good reason."  
  
"It's your fault for messing with my hair." Blaine retorted, sticking his tongue out childishly at his brother, a hint of a smile on his face. Looking around the room again, still in awe of Dalton, he asked "So what's your reason for lying?"  
  
"I'm going to give you a VIP tour." Cooper grinned, grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him left, past the staircase up and into what looked like a small living room. "This is one of the common rooms, there's a couple around the school, you know just places for students to chill out, do homework, watch tv, that sort of thing. And through here is first group of class rooms, mostly extracurricular stuff like art, band, there's the dance room we use sometimes to choreograph for Warbler practice, and just past here is the gym. Plenty of punching bags too, so you don't have to resort to making your own, or worse using the wall instead."  
  
"We promised not to speak about that." Blaine groaned and blushed as his brother knocked their shoulders lightly, teasingly. "I punched exactly one wall and I didn't even hurt myself all the much, but still you won't let it go."  
  
"Never B. Besides, it's the story of why you punched the wall that is way funnier." Cooper grinned wickedly, walking back out of the gym again and back down the hallway, Blaine trailing behind thank the heavens that no one was around to hear his brother right now. They passed under the staircase, and past the two doors that seemed to lead outside, the the opposite side of the entryway, the room that was there. "This is the kitchen/dining area of Dalton by the way, aka the place where boys spend their weekends pigging out on the buffet that never closes or costs anything, there's a coffee station down at the end, and there's another one on the third floor in the library. They're basically always busy, but the good news is lines move pretty fast and since most students always get the same thing at about the same time, after a few weeks t can be knocked out in seconds."    
  
"And what do they do about you Mr. 'I-Have-To-Change-My-Order-Everyday'?" Blaine teased, not missing the way Cooper rolled his eyes quite dramatically, as he led Blaine out of the dining room and towards the opposite side of the stairs, and said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world  
  
"Obviously my order changes based upon who's working. Different students work different days, every semester they switch out, they have like a little list for their most consistent customers so they can have their drink ready in time. So for me different students have different ideas of what to give me. I always let them decide." Cooper explained, gesturing vaguely to more classrooms as he passed them, ones that looked to be science classes from what Blaine saw as they walked. "One of my friends worked there last year, and he used to just mix a whole bunch of shit together when he worked and give it to me. Another guy only served me Pumpkin Spice Lattes, just because he had once heard me complain about how everyone was obsessed with them at Warblers practice. The worst part is he did it in Spring, so like then I just looked liked I was the crazy obsessed one. It didn't help that they were really good, like mind-blowingly awesome, so it wasn't like I could just refuse them. Damn I really want one now, ugh I wonder how much David would make me pay him just to sneak in there and make me another one."  
  
"Probably a hundred bucks." A voice said as they entered the next room, scaring Blaine enough that he dropped his phone as he jumped suddenly behind Cooper, memories of the attack flashing in his head like a broke movie. Over and over as the room faded from around him, replaced instead by the parking lot and suddenly Blaine was shaking too much to stand and his knees gave out from under him and he was vaguely aware of someone catching him but he didn't know who.  
  
Blaine struggled in Cooper's arms as his brother carried him to one of the couches in the Warbler practice room, and as soon as he set him down Blaine was scooting to the opposite of the couch, flinching away from Cooper when he tried to touch him.  
  
"Cooper, don't touch him." Came the voice from earlier, sharper this time as Wes Montgomery came around the council table and over towards the brothers, slowly so as not to startle Blaine any more. "He's having a panic attack. Usually touching only makes it worse."  
  
Cooper froze, wanting nothing more than to pull his baby brother into a hug right then and there, but he knew there to be truth in Wes's words (After all the boy had suffered several panic attacks himself in the past two years Cooper had known him), and so slowly he retracted his hands. "How can I make it stop?"  
  
"You can't. We just have to ride it out I'm afraid." Wes explained, taking a seat on the couch across from them. "There are a few things that can help, it's different for every person but the most important thing is that you remain calm. You panicking will only upset him more, got it?"  
  
Cooper nodded, and Wes waited until he visibly relaxed just slightly before continuing. "For me breathing helps a lot. As in count breaths. So like In-2-3-4, Out-2-3-4. Of course you have to get his attention first, see if you can get him to look at you,"  
  
Wes paused, sliding down the couch so he was in front of Blaine and then leaning over so that they were at eye level. "Hey, Blaine hey look at me. It's okay, it's okay. I'm a friend of Cooper's, I'm Wes remember?"  
  
Terrified eyes peered back at Wes, and for minute Blaine stared, until finally he gave just the tiniest of nods through his panic.  
  
"Good, good. Now listen B, can you do something for me? It's really easy I promise. Can you breath with me? Come on, in-2-3-4 now out-2-3-4. Good, now again." Blaine shakily breathed along with Wes, his intakes sharp and loud at first but slowly they started growing softer, and the panic started to fade. "Cooper I think you can touch him now. Just, be gentle."  
  
Wes sat back again as Cooper placed a hand gently on Blaine's back, rubbing a few small circles when he didn't flinch away. Then without warning Blaine was flinging himself at his brother, crying, and Cooper easily pulled him into a hug, rocking them both just slightly as he continued to run circles, talking softly to Blaine. This was the kind of comfort he knew how to do.  
  
Not wanting to intrude on their moment, Wes stood up, carefully walking back to the other side of the room to continue setting things up in the practice room for their first official meeting that afternoon. The room tended to stay pretty empty, but as part of the Council Wes decided a few personal touches wouldn't hurt the room, non breakable ones though because last year somebody knocked a vase off the table trying to do a fancy dance move and the resulting mess made them lose an entire day of practice just before Regionals. Wes wasn't even on the council then and he still chewed David out over it for weeks.  
  
Speaking of David, Wes's phone was buzzing, his annoying best friend and fellow council member, and also his roommate for the third year in a row now.  
  
_**Where are you?**_  
_**Because your stuff is in our room, but you are nowhere to be found. ~David**_  
  
_**I'm in the Warbler practice room. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Dude, already?**_  
_**Practice isn't until tonight. I know you're excited about being on the Council but this is ridiculous. ~David**_  
  
_**I was trying to decorate the place a little bit.**_  
_**Replace the vase that somebody broke last year and cost us Regionals. ~Wes**_  
  
_**That is *not* why we lost Regionals. One lost practice didn't doom us.**_  
_**The other teams were just better. ~David**_  
  
_**Actually I'm pretty sure they won because they sang songs specifically chosen for the judges.**_  
_**Fucking suck ups. ~Wes**_  
  
_**You are a literal bucket of salt.**_  
_**Seriously though dude when are you coming back?**_  
_**Because I'm hungry and I thought we agreed after unpacking we'd go get something to eat. ~David**_  
  
_**Shouldn't you be unpacking now, you just got here. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Nah, I sprained my ankle last week so I'm not allowed to walk on it so mom made Michael and his friends help.**_  
_**I'm sitting in my bed watching them bring stuff in, so like I'm basically just surrounded by boxes. ~**_  
  
_**YOU SPRAINED YOUR ANKLE??**_  
_**DAVID WHAT THE FUCK WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD PRACTICE YET!! ~Wes**_  
  
_**I'll be fine in a few weeks. I mean it's not like I broke it or anything. ~David**_  
  
_**A FEW WEEKS?!?!?**_  
_**DAVID YOU'RE OUR CHOREOGRAPHER ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW**_  
_**I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO KILL YOU ~Wes**_  
  
_**IM SORRY**_  
_**IT WAS AN ACCIDENT**_  
_**PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. ~David**_  
  
_**You better make this up to me. ~Wes**_  
  
_**I'll buy you lunch.**_  
_**If you ever come back that is. ~David**_  
  
_**I would say I'd be there in a minute except there's a bit of a situation going on here. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Should I would be worried? ~David**_  
  
_**Maybe. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Wes? ~David**_  
  
_**I've met Blaine. ~Wes**_  
  
_**What?!**_  
_**How??~David**_  
  
_**Okay well I was in the Warblers room decorating, when in comes Cooper and Blaine.**_  
_**Of course the school isn't even open yet, so I'm naturally curious on how they got in.**_  
_**But before I can ask them I hear them talking and get this, they were talking about you. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Aww, they were talking about me? What did they say?  ~David**_  
  
_**They were talking about your coffee making skills. Apparently Cooper misses your lattes, by the way, even though he complained about them like literally everyday.**_  
_**Coop wanted to know how much it would be to buy you off to make him just one more ~Wes**_  
  
_**For Cooper? I'd do it free of charge so long as he wins us Sectionals this year. And Regionals. (If we could even get in the top ten at Nationals I would literally kiss him.) ~David**_  
  
_**I told him a $100. Clearly you're cheaper than I thought, D. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Sectionals and Regionals is worth way more than $100 Wesley. A lot more. ~David**_  
  
_**Point taken.**_  
_**Anyways, I guess they didn't see me when they came in so when I said something it scared the crap out of Blaine.**_  
_**Like 'Send-Him-Into-A-Panic-Attack' scared. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Shit. ~David**_  
  
_**No kidding.**_  
_**And you know Cooper is fucking hopeless when someone panics. ~Wes**_  
  
_**What happened? ~David**_  
  
_**Well after Blaine flinched away from Cooper, I managed to talk him through things a bit.**_  
_**Showed him how to do the breathing, you know remain calm and all that.**_  
_**It took a while but I managed to calm Blaine down. ~Wes**_  
  
_**Is he okay? ~David**_  
  
_**Not really.**_  
_**No one is ever really okay right after.**_  
_**But he's letting Cooper hug him now and he's crying, but he doesn't look like he's in another place anymore, so I think he's going to be. ~Wes**_  
  
_**It's a lots worse than we thought isn't it?**_  
_**A lot worse than Coop thought. ~David**_  
  
  
_**Yeah,**_  
_**it is.**_  
_**...**_  
_**David we have to protect him. ~Wes**_  
  
_**He may not be a Warbler but he's still one of us.**_  
_**Cooper and Blaine both are going to need us whether they realize it or not. ~David**_  
  
_**We should discuss it at the meeting tonight.**_  
_**Cooper's waving me over, I'll be up whenever we finish okay? ~Wes**_  
  
_**Take your time. Let Coop know I'm here for him if he needs it. ~David** _  
  
Wes slid his phone back into his pocket after reading the last message, grabbing the box of tissues he had brought just in case, holding it out to Cooper as he took a seat again across from them. Blaine, red eyed and embarrassed but no longer crying took a few, wiping his eyes and nose, trying to rid the tears from his face.  
  
"You know Blaine I suffer from panic attacks sometimes myself." Wes said after after a minute, an easy smile crossing his face that he hoped would relax that younger boy a bit. "So I'm not not going to ask if you're okay because I know no one is really okay right after. But I would like to offer my help if would like, to you and Cooper. I can teach you a few of the techniques I learned to help control and shorten the attacks."  
  
Blaine blinked slowly, looking up at Cooper with his head tilted slightly at Wes, unsure what to say or do, and Cooper smiled back easily, answering for both of them "I think it would be a really good idea Wes. Just, not right now I don't think. We still need to unpack the car and stuff before too many people get here."  
  
"David's brother and his friends are here, I bet you could get them to help." Wes said, standing up as the brothers did the same, not missing the curious look that passed over Cooper's face when he mentioned Michael, who under normal circumstances wouldn't be caught dead in Dalton. "Our lovely David sprained his ankle. So his mom is forcing his brother to help. I swear if we didn't need his dance moves so much I would actually kill him."  
  
Cooper laughed, shaking his head as he followed Wes out of the room, the Asian man still cursing his best friend under his breath. Blaine walked beside him, his head down, only looking at the world through his lashes. They paused at the staircase, Wes about to head out the doors behind them towards the dorms whilst the brothers headed for Cooper's care.  
  
"I'll send outout the boys in a few minutes Coop. I have a feeling it's their fault I'm down a Warbler anyways so they deserve this manual labor." Wes continued muttering angrily under his breath as he walked up the stairs and out of sight, no doubt off to scold his best friend and his siblings.  
  
Cooper grabbed Blaine's arm lightly, still laughing about Wes as he led his brother from the school again and back to his car, so that could gather a few things to take to their rooms before backup arrived to help.  
  
"We'll move your stuff first squirt, so you can unpack while me and the boys do my stuff." Cooper said, grabbing the box full of Blaine's bed stuff and another one full of clothes as Blaine gathered his pillows and his bag full of bathroom products. "You're on the first floor this year, on the first hallway too, which is nice, and you've got a single room because I'm amazing like that and managed to score it for you."  
  
Blaine nodded slightly but really didn't seem to be listening as they made their way back inside. He was much too busy staring at how beautiful the school was inside and out to listen. The doors behind the schools led out onto a covered bridge that led to the dorms on the opposite side of the river. On the left of the bridge, the river led to a giant lake, and in the distance on the right side Blaine just had time to catch sight of what looked to be a football field before Cooper led him into the Dorm building on the other side. There was a little entry way there too, with a grand staircase that led up to the second floor, and past that a giant common room for the boys to hang out in. Either side of this room was lined with hallways off which the dorms were located, and Cooper took Blaine down the first hallway on the left, leading him down to the second room before opening up the door.   
  
Stepping inside the dorm room was like stepping into a new world for Blaine. Cooper smiled slightly as his brother visibly relaxed inside the room, tension rolling of his shoulders as he looked out slowly. It was empty, plain like any other dorm room, with two beds on opposite sides of the wall, two desk side by side between them under the window. There was a door to the bathroom not far on the left side of the room, which while not particularly big was private at least and that made Blaine smile a little. This was his room. This was his space to be alone, to get away when it got too much.  
  
Blaine made his way back into the bedroom, stopping to appreciate the closest space provided beside the bed, noticing the same sort of set up on the other side of the room. It wasn't a lot of closet space, but there was enough room in there for a dresser and it was more than Blaine ever dreamed he'd get at a private school. It was nice. It felt... Almost like home.  
  
"It'll look a lot better when you decorate it." Cooper assured his brother, smiling slightly when Blaine turned his wide eyes towards him. "It'll look like you."  
  
Blaine grinned at his brother, crossing the room quickly to pull him into a tight hug, a few tears in his eyes but these out of pure joy over fear. "Thank you so much for doing this for me Cooper. I know it wasn't easy. I love you."  
  
"Love you too squirt." Cooper replied softly, hugging Blaine tightly for a second longer before pulling away, wiping his own eyes quickly before smiling down at his brother, hands on either shoulder as he said seriously "No more crying, okay mister? Everything's going to be okay."  
  
He paused, waiting until Blaine straightened up a bit, sniffling as he wiped away the last of his tears and nodded to continue. "Atta boy. I'm going to get your stuff, you stay here and unpack okay? Blaineify the room."  
  
Blaine nodded, biting his lip nervously nonetheless as Cooper stepped away from him, and then slowly turned and left the room. Blaine listened to his footsteps as he left and could already feel his panic rising now that he was alone.  
  
He shook his head once, desperate to be rid of the panic and fear. Distraction. He needed a distraction. Unpacking it is.  
  
Blaine started with the bathroom, laying out all the things he would need like his hair gels and tooth brush, his favorite soap that reminded him of his mom, a small thing of cologne he didn't like to use but his dad insisted he have. He found towels in another box Cooper, and his group of extremely loud helpers, brought in, and hung those up along with a few washcloths.  
  
From there he moved onto the closet, hanging up the several brand new Dalton uniforms Cooper had bought him just last week along with a couple regular weekend outfits he had brought. The many Dalton sweatpants and oversized shirts he had bought to wear either as pajamas or just to relax in found their way into his dresser drawers, along with various other items that include a distinct lack of socks, also known as Blaine's mortal enemy and the topic of many arguments with his older brother. ("They're just socks Blaine! They won't kill you." "They constrict my feet and toes too much Coop! I like being free.")  
  
When Cooper brought in box that had his docking station, Blaine paused from arranging the large amount of bow ties he had brought (along with the regular Dalton ties naturally) so that he could plug it in, and when Cooper announced they had brought the last of Blaine's boxes up and were going to move onto his stuff, B plugged in his iPod and shooed them out, closing the door to let the music surround him as he began to unpack the rest of his stuff.  
  
"There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be a uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose."  
  
Blaine sang along to the lyrics of the song, softly at first, then more confident as he continued to unpack, dancing around the room now instead of walking, performing instead of simply unpacking. It was the first time he had sang in months, ever since the incident and subsequent falling out with his father he hadn't wanted to to do anything to further anger Devon Anderson and so he didn't sing.  
  
It felt nice to be free to do so again.  
  
"Keep on moving, keep climbing. Keep the faith, baby. It's all about, it's all about the climb. Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa"  
  
As Blaine sang in his room, two boys stopped curiously outside his door to listen. One had blonde hair and brown eyes shining with excitement as he looked down at his shorter best friend with black hair and brown eyes that had they same look of wonder in them.  
  
"He's amazing." The blonde boy said in his awe, his friend nodding in agreement slowly. "I wonder if he'd teach me to sing like that."  
  
"Do you think he'll try out for the Warblers?" The brown haired boy asked, ignoring his friends question in favor of his own. "His voice could win competitions easily."  
  
"I hope so. The Warblers could use his voice." The blonde hair boy nodded, thinking of the how the group had lost Regionals last year, and how a voice like that could have totally saved them. "Though I'm sure our voices will be a wonderful addition to them too. After all we blend perfectly together."  
  
The brown haired boy nodded absently, his mouth slightly opened as the song ended, and the room fell silent except for the sounds of someone moving around. He quickly closed his mouth again, grabbing blondie's hand and dragging back up the hallway slightly to their room, pushing him inside, explaining as he did "We can't get caught standing outside someone's door, it would be creepy."  
  
"Nick, we have to be friends with that dude." Blondie said, completely ignoring what his best friend just said, bouncing slightly on his feet as if the words just went straight over him. "I need to sing like that. It was incredible."  
  
"We can become friends with him later Jeff. In a normal setting. When it doesn't look like we were just creeping on them." Nick said firmly, walking past his best friend to the boxes near his bed, opening the first one he saw. "Right now we should unpack."  
  
"You're no fun." Jeff whined, falling down on his own bed dramatically pouting slightly. Nick rolled his eyes as he walked into the bathroom, yelling in over his shoulder at the still pouting boy  
  
"If we unpack I'll order pizza." Nick teased, laughing when Jeff sat up suddenly, his brown eyes sparkling again at the mention of his favorite food. "And we can order dessert with it."  
  
That was all it took to get Jeff scrambling off his bed, throwing open the first box he saw and pulling out the speaker on top and grinning, rushing to plug it in by his desk. "Music makes time go by faster."  
  
Nick shook his head but said nothing as Jeff plugged in his iPod, and a second later classical music was filling the room and Jeff was dancing, moving in perfect time to the music as he opened a suitcase and started to unpack his clothes.  
  
Nick watched from the doorway of the bathroom, his heart clenching slightly as he watched the blonde boy move so gracefully, so effortlessly around the room, in a world where nothing but the music and him existed. The dancing was beautiful, and more importantly so was the boy doing it.  
  
Nick pushed away from the wall as Jeff turned back to face, beckoning with one finger for the man to join him in the center of the room. And as Jeff led him through the more elaborate part of the song Nick couldn't help but laugh, mostly at himself because he kept stepping on Jeff's toes and couldn't keep up, and eventually Jeff shoved him away, though not in a mean way. He had the coy and teasing look on his face as he chased Nick all the backwards until he hit his bed and fell onto it suddenly.  
  
Jeff danced away again, but Nick didn't bother to get up. Just propped his head up on his arms and watched as Jeff made it to the opposite side of the room, swaying his hips as he moved. The song changed, and Jeff began doing a much more ridiculous dance to the beat, and yet still managed to look ridiculously good while doing so.  
  
Nick groaned, rolling off the opposite side of the bed and trying his best to pointedly ignore his best friend and his damn good looks and brilliant moves. He was hardly successful, kept stealing glances every few seconds. When Jeff caught him looking once he smirked, sending Nick a wink that he swears should be illegal.  
  
Nick felt his knees go weak and Jeff smirked more, blowing the boy a kiss before turning away, laughing lightly because goddamnit he knew exactly what he was doing. As is to prove his point Jeff rolled his hips, and Nick had to actually grab the wall to keep from falling to the floor.  
  
It was times like this that Nick was pretty sure his best friend was from the depths of hell itself sent specifically here to torture him.  
  
....  
  
Blaine was exhausted by the time he finished unpacking. It had taken a lot longer than he thought it would to arrange everything as he would like it, and between the lack of sleep last night and the panic attack the morning, he was drained. He had no idea when Cooper would be back, but he figured it wouldn't be for a while. So he turned the volume down on his iPod just slightly, placed his phone on vibrate in case someone texted him, and then without a second thought curled up on the bed for a little well deserved nap.  
  
So that's how Cooper found him an hour later when he came to see if he wanted anything to eat. He clearly needed the sleep, he didn't even flinch when the door opened and ever since the attack he had been extremely jumpy, so Cooper opted against waking him up. Instead he left a note on the table by the bed so Blaine would see it when he woke up, telling him that Coop, Wes, David, and a few other guys had gone out to get something to eat and they would just bring him something back since he was asleep.  
  
Blaine didn't even notice the note.  
  
He was still asleep when Cooper came back, and this time he left a note attached to the food they brought back, this one saying that Coop was headed to Warbler practice at 4, and it was going to run late today because they were holding auditions for anyone that wanted to join. Until then he'd be in his room.  
  
....  
  
When Blaine finally woke up it wasn't from a nightmare like normal, but instead the annoying grumbling of his stomach. Eyes hardly opened, he fumbled for his phone, wincing at first at the bright light, only to nearly drop it when he noticed the time. 5pm. It was 5 at night and he had been asleep for almost six hours without a nightmare.  
  
"New record." He muttered sleepily to himself, chuckling bitterly at the truthfulness in the words. Ever since the attack he had been lucky to get even two hours of sleep without a nightmare, though at least they had evolved from the screaming ones that left his whole body shaking and his breathing harsh and had Cooper running into the room to check on him. Most nightmares he had now were the quiet ones, ones that had him waking up crying and panicking a bit, but that he could easily enough get over. Mostly because he couldn't remember them the second he woke up.  
  
Blaine shook the thought from his head, rolling onto his stomach and quickly pushing himself up into a sitting position from there, though not quick enough to avoid the sharp jolt of pain that came with putting pressure on his ribs. Luckily it faded as quick as it came, and Blaine was used to it, but it still made him sigh slightly. It was a reminder, a constant reminder of the bullies, of the dance, the hospital and Cooper's face as he told him what happened. It was a reminder of a night he can't even remember beyond the image of black, and the overwhelming knowledge that he was going to die.  
  
Blaine's phone buzzed in his hand, and it was enough to distract from his thoughts, bring him back to reality with a text from his big brother checking in on him.  
  
_**Hey B, I'm just checking in on you. You haven't texted me yet so I assume you're still asleep and haven't seen the notes yet, but there's some food for you on the desk. I'm still at Warbler practice, we've spent almost an hour arguing over how we're going to do auditions and whether or not we can actually burn Wes's gavel. He looks so smug every time he hits it.**_  
_**Which is like every five seconds. ~Cooper** _  
  
Blaine spotted the food container as soon as he read his brothers message, and smiling slightly he climbed off the bed to grab it, along with the two notes Cooper had left. His stomach growled again as he opened the container up, and the overwhelming smell of pasta slapped him in the face.  
  
He grinned just slightly, it was his favorite food after all, he quickly dug in, only thinking to text Cooper back after he had taken the first bite.  
  
_**I found the pasta and it is delicious.**_  
_**Thank you.**_  
_**How's practice? ~Blaine**_  
  
_**We're about to start auditions.**_  
_**Wes refuses to put his gavel down in fear one of us will destroy it.**_  
_**I hope the new kids aren't frightened off by his annoying banging every two seconds. ~Cooper**_  
  
_**As long as he doesn't do it while someone's singing. ~Blaine**_  
  
_**Oh god, what if he does?**_  
_**....**_  
_**I have to go, the first kid is coming in. Here's to hoping he's good. ~Cooper** _  
  
Blaine laughed slightly, setting his phone down beside him in favor of picking up one of the notes Cooper left.  
  
_Hey Blainey Poo,_  
_You're asleep right now, so I'm not going to wake you. Wes says you're probably exhausted from the panic attack, and I know you didn't sleep well last night because I heard you up at 3am taking a shower. Besides, you didn't even flinch when we came in and these two are anything but quiet, so I know you really need to sleep._  
_Anyways, Wes, David, and I are going out to get some lunch, if you wake up before we get back just text me. We'll bring you something though._  
_Oh and Wes and David say hello and to have sweet dreams._  
  
_Squirt,_  
_I've brought you back some Spaghetti because I know it's your favorite._  
_I also brought a lot of napkins in case it gets messy, and a bottle of water too._  
_It's about 2 now, you're still asleep which is a good thing I suppose, as far as I can tell you haven't had any nightmares which is incredible._  
_Anyways, I'm going to be upstairs in my room until Warblers practice, if you wake up and want to know._  
_Practice starts at 4, I don't know when it'll be over though because we're auditioning new members today, and depending on how many boys show up, we could be there a while._  
_Text me when you wake up, okay?_  
_PS._  
_If you want to stop by the meeting, you can. ~Wes_  
_You don't even have to audition. You can just sit and listen. ~David_  
  
Blaine chewed on his lip thoughtfully, looking glancing between the door and his phone several times, debating. The thought of leaving his room alone was terrifying. What if something happened? What if he ran into someone? What if they tried to talk to him and he couldn't say anything back and they got angry? What if he got lost?  
  
"I don't want to be scared anymore." He said softly to room, repeating the same words he had told Dr. Jenny just days earlier. He was tired of being scared, and Dalton was safe. Nobody could get him here. He was safe.  
  
Blaine swallowed harshly, his hands shaking as he typed a message out to Cooper, telling him he'd be down in 10 minutes or so, if practice was still going on. Cooper had texted him back before he even made it to the bathroom with a smiley face and thumbs, saying the line was like halfway down the hall so he had time.  
  
He cringed as he looked into the mirror, running his hands over his normally controlled hair in an attempt to make lie at least somewhat nicely again. Luckily the gel in it moved easily, and he got it to flatten enough he looked presentable. He washed his face quickly to get rid of any traces of midday nap left and then, straightening his bow tie, the one that matches the Dalton colors of blue and red, he gripped his phone tightly and walked from the room, trying to ignore the way his heart beat a little faster as he did.  
  
Blaine kept his head down as he made his way back down the hall and past the bustling common room, out the doors and over the bridge, following the path he remembers walking with Cooper, looking up through his eyelashes only enough to make sure he didn't run into anyone or anything for that matter. With his shoulders slumped and head down, he looked unapproachable, and no one spoke to him. No one even seemed to notice him.  
  
At least no one until he reached the small group of students waiting outside of the Warblers practice room. A few glanced his way as soon as he walked up, but he attracted more attention as he carefully made his way around them and up to the doors. He paused just outside them, one hand hovering nervously by the handle, and it was then one of the boys decided to finally speak  
  
"Are you here for the auditions?" The boy asked brightly, a smile on his face as he stepped a little closer to Blaine, pointing to the group behind him. "We're all supposed to be waiting over here until they call us in. They don't want us too close to the door, something about not wanting us to spy on our competition or something."  
  
Blaine stuttered, trying to get out that he wasn't here to audition, but he couldn't get the words to form and so he stared, wide eyed, as the boy continued on "I'm Trent Nixon, by the way."  
  
Blaine stuttered again, unable to form a proper response or any words at all really. He could feel the anxiety washing over him in waves, his throat felt like it was rapidly closing and suddenly it had become very hard to breath. He stumbled backwards, hitting one of the doors and causing it to rattle, but it didn't fall open at least. Vaguely Blaine was aware of his legs giving out from under him and he slid to the the floor, but it was hard to focus on anything anymore except the fact he couldn't breathe and his heart was racing so much it felt like it might jump out of his chest at any second. Oh god was he dying? Was this what dying felt like? Oh god. He couldn't breath, why couldn't he breathe?  
  
"What's going on?" Trent had stepped back in alarm when Blaine hit the door, watching the boy fearfully as he fell to the floor. "W-What do we do?"  
  
Trent turned to the other boys, but most of them looked just as confused as he did, and so he turned back to Blaine in a slight panic, and did the first thing he thought of to do: He threw open the other door to the Warblers practice room.  
  
It was quiet, things had fell that way when Blaine first ran into the door, and the sound echoed through the room. When the second door opened, a few of the Warblers stood up, ready to stop any commotion going on outside the room.  
  
"Th-There's a boy that collapsed out here." Trent said, his voice shaking slightly. Cooper froze, then jumped up as soon as Trent finished talking, Wes close behind him because they both had the same thought on who it was.  
  
"C-C-Coop. I-I ca-can't breathe." Blaine gasped, hardly able to force the words out breaths as Cooper dropped to the floor in front of his brother. "I-It  h-hurts."  
  
"Blaine you're just panicking, okay? You need to take deeper breaths." Wes said firmly, crouching beside Cooper, so that he and Blaine were at eye level. "Look at me. Come on B, that's it. Remember the breathing we did earlier? In-2-3-4, Out-2-3-4."  
  
And so for the second time that day Cooper found himself watching as Wes talked his baby brother down from a panic attack, and it broke his heart more than just a little. They knew that going to school was going to be a big adjustment for Blaine, but they never thought...  
  
"C-Cooper." Blaine's whimper brought Cooper from his thoughts just in time, because the next second the boy was flinging himself at his brother, burying his face in Cooper's chest sobbing, heartbreaking sobs that made tears pool in Coop's eyes too.  
  
"Shh, shh Blainey. Shh." Cooper cooed, wrapping his arms tightly around Blaine and pulling him more properly into his lap, rubbing his back in small circles. "It's okay Blainey, it's okay. I'm here."  
  
"I want to go home." Blaine sobbed, his voice muffled but his desperation and fear clear. "Please. I-I can't do this."  
  
"Oh squirt," Cooper sighed sadly, pulling back from Blaine enough that he could look into his brothers eyes when he spoke again. "I know you're scared Blaine. It's a lot to take in, it's a big change and you don't know how to react. But you can't give up on me now, okay? You can do this. I know you can."  
  
"C-Cooper please," Blaine whimpered brokenly, practically begging his brother to see his side. He couldn't do this. It hurt too much, he was too scared. He just wanted to go home, to his familiar room and his bed, posters on the wall, Cooper a few steps away. He wanted home, not this strange new place where everyone and everything scared him. "Please."  
  
Cooper sighed again, shifting Blaine so that his arms were around Cooper's neck, standing up carefully so as not to lose his hold on the boy. Blaine clinged in tighter to his brother, laying his head on Cooper's shoulder as they started down the hallway, back towards Blaine's room where he could calm down and Cooper could try his best to figure out how to fix this. How to fix Blaine.  
  
....  
  
Wes was leaning against the door as Cooper walked down the hallway, waiting until he was out of sight before turning back to the room, closing the door softly behind him. The other Warblers were still inside, and they were all watching him as he walked back to the council table, and for a long while no one spoke as he sunk down in his chair, rubbing a hand roughly down his face.  
  
"How's Blaine?" David asked finally, breaking the silence with his question. Wes sighed heavily, shaking his head slowly. It wasn't good. "What happened?"  
  
Wes didn't speak for another minute, but finally he sat up, grabbed his gavel and hit it once to call attention though it really wasn't necessary. Everyone was already watching him, waiting to hear whatever he had to say. "Warblers. We have a situation on our hands, and his name is Blaine Anderson. David, this all off the record," Wes added when he saw the man pick up a pencil to record the minutes. David nodded, setting the pencil back down and shifting so he could better look at his best friend.  
  
"What we discuss in here is to never leave the room, do you understand me? If I hear one whisper of it in the hallways, or see one note passed about in class or anything, I will find the student responsible and you will be removed from the team immediately." Wes paused, watching as everyone slowly nodded their heads in agreement, sharing worried glances but no one objected, and so he continued. "We all know that Blaine is Cooper's world, anyone that's spent five minutes around him would know he loves his baby brother more than anything."  
  
"He never shuts up about him." Evan Taylor, one of Cooper's best friends and the third member of the council, added, and a several people laughed in agreement. "He's like that kids father."  
  
"Exactly. And Cooper is one of us, so that means Blaine is one of us too. And we take care of our own." Wes said, and David snorted beside him.  
  
"You make us sound like a wolf pack Wesley." David teased, poking Wes in the side and grinning. "Are going to kill someone if they mess with him?"  
  
"If it comes to that." Wes replied, his voice serious but his eyes were sparkling in amusement. David snorted, shaking his head at his best friend, motioning him to continue. "Anyways, the point is, we need to take care of Blaine. He's been through hell and back in these past few months, we all know about what happened at the Sadie Hawkins dance."  
  
"I've never seen Cooper more destroyed than when he got that phone call." Evan said softly, recalling the night as if it was yesterday. He was Cooper's roommate last year, and it was the first time he had ever seen the boy cry. "He actually screamed at the lady on the phone, told her it had to be a mistake, that there was no way his baby brother, his Blaine, was dying."  
  
"When he called us the next day to update us on Blaine's condition, he was crying so much we could hardly understand him." Josh Evans added quietly, remembering how they all listened to the call on speaker phone during Warbler meeting that night. No one knew what to say to Cooper, how to comfort the boy who was about to lose everything, but they all promised at that moment they would be there no matter what. "When Cooper called me the day Blaine woke up, I thought he was going to tell us he died. It was such a miracle."  
  
"And the pneumonia happened and suddenly it seemed like Blaine might die again." James Evans continued, repeating the story they all knew, but wished they didn't. "It was another miracle he lived through it with no complications."  
  
"When Cooper came back here at the end of the year, he told us all he was planning on enrolling Blaine in Dalton. And he made us all promise to help him look after B." David finished, his words weighing heavy on the quiet room because it was true. They all promised to watch over Blaine as if he was their own brother, they promised to take care of him in that moment, but they were realizing now it was a much bigger task than they ever thought.  
  
"We didn't know then how mentally scarred Blaine was. Coming to school today proved that there was more to it than we already knew." Wes said, taking over the conversation. There were five people in this room who knew what he was about to say, and two of them sat at the council table on either side of Wes. The other two were sitting together in the back of the room, and while a few people twisted around to look at the twins, most of them continued to look at Wes, David, and Evan. "A few days ago Blaine was diagnosed with PTSD. There was, it was obvious something was up with B. He wouldn't talk to anyone except Coop, and even than he hardly said much. He refused to talk about the attack, or how he felt or anything like that. All there was to go by was B's nightmares, and even those weren't very helpful. But a few days ago he started talking and he got diagnosed and they've started treatment. That's why B came down here all alone tonight. It was supposed to help him."  
  
"Instead it just caused him a panic attack." David sighed beside him, rubbing his face a little guiltily. He was the one that had convinced Cooper to let Blaine come by himself in the first place, no matter how much Coop told them it was a bad idea. "Another one."  
  
"And now Blaine wants to go home. He, he was begging Cooper to take him back to their house. He's terrified." Wes continued, looking between David and Evan, who looked just as shocked at the news as the others in the room. "Of everything and everyone. It's a lot of change, of new things, and I think it's just a little overwhelming for him."  
  
"Well remember Cooper's first day? He said the same thing, that he wanted to go home. Only for him home was Blaine." Evan said, frownig a bit. He was Coop's roommate that first year and he  experienced first hand most of the boy's pain and anger when he first arrived. "It took him weeks to get used to being here, but when he did it was like he was a new person. He joined the Warblers and made friends and he made a home here."  
  
"Blaine's not going to join the Warblers. If he can't talk to people somehow I doubt he'll want to sing for them." James shook his head.

"Cooper was never shy about talking and even he took some convincing to join." Evan agreed, sharing a look with some of the oldest Warblers, who remembered the fight it took getting Cooper to join. The elder Anderson was extremely resistant to making friends at first.

  
"He doesn't need to join for us to help him." Wes cut in, drawing the attention of the group back to him, and the plan he has formed. "I know that it's unorthodox, but I think it could help Blaine tremendously if we simply let him sit in on our meetings and watch."  
  
The outcry was immediate. Several members of the Warblers started shouting over each other at once, yelling about "anarchy" and "Warbler practices are scared" and "Why don't we just invite the whole school?" It wasn't until Wes loudly banged his gavel several times that things finally settled down, and he could hear what the others had to say.  
  
"Wes, we all understand what you're trying to do for Blaine, and we admire it. We really want to help him." Thad Hardwood said, standing and gesturing around to the group, most of whom nodded in agreement. "But the Warblers have rules and traditions for a reason. Having him a practice will just cause a distraction, and we need to absolutely focused if we want to get to Nationals this year."  
  
"Cooper will be more distracted if Blaine isn't here." Evan argued, and a murmur ran through the group because it was true. All Cooper could ever focus on was his brother nowadays. "Especially if B winds up going home. If Blaine leaves, Cooper leaves, and we need him."  
  
"As much as I hate to admit, pretty boy is our best shot at winning Nationals." Cameron James agreed, turning a few heads in surprise because it was a well known fact he couldn't stand Cooper. "What? I may hate him but I'm not stupid. The prick is talented. If letting Blaine into meetings keeps him here than I say we let him."  
  
"All in favor of letting Blaine attend Warbler meetings?" Wes asked, though he knew at this point it was more of a formality than anything, just like the arguing was. It wouldn't be a decision if they didn't fight, and so it was fairly quickly that every hand raised until the air. Smiling, Wes hit his gavel to signal a decision. "Decided. We'll let Cooper know tomorrow that Blaine is welcome at any and all Warbler meetings. Hopefully this will help him. Now, back to auditions..."  
  
And just like that the conversation had turned. Evan explained to Wes that had told all the boys to come back in an hour to finish auditions before the shooed them all off for Cooper to have space. Some of them seemed pretty grumpy about it, but most of them understood and promised to be back. "So now we just have to wait."  
  
"Shouldn't be much longer now than, we've been at this for some time." Wes said, checking his watch just as someone knocked on the door, and in popped the blonde head of a smiling freshman boy.  
  
"Are you guys ready for us now? Or should we take more time?" He asked, bouncing a little on his feet, obviously excited. Wes chuckled, and motioned him in.  
  
"We're ready."  
  
....  
  
Nick knew he really shouldn't, but he couldn't help but spy on Jeff as he auditioned. The blonde boy had left the door open in his excitement, and even from where he stood with the others Nick could hear his beautiful voice. He didn't even realize he was inching closer until he was at the door, and his eyes caught sight of Jeff as he danced beautifully around the room, doing a flip in midair that stopped his heart until the other boy was safely on the ground again.  
  
Somewhere towards the end of the performance Nick caught Jeff's eye, and suddenly the blonde was smirking as he sent his best friend a wink, and a very pointed butt shake in his direction. Nick felt his face heat up as he tried desperately to sink back into the shadows, but luckily no one seemed to notice, and as Jeff stopped he risked stepping forward again, so he could see the others reactions.  
  
"That was very nice Jeff. We could use someone with dance experience like you, especially considering our current choreographer is down for the count." Wes smiled after a moment, sending a little glare towards David with his last sentence, and the boy shrugged sheepishly in apology. "You have very nice vocals too, especially for someone who moves around as much as you do. You fell a little flat when you did the flip, but I'm sure we can work on that."  
  
Jeff nodded his head in agreement, biting back a very large smile as he listened to Wes talk, bouncing slightly on his feet. "I only started really singing about a year ago thanks to my best friend, he's been helping me a lot and I know he'll continue to if I need to."  
  
"Is that who's been spying by the door over there?" Wes asked, nodding over to where Nick stood. Jeff nodded still grinning, and practically skipped over to the door to drag a blushing Nick into the room.  
  
"This is my best friend Nick Duval. His dance moves kind of suck but I've been working on them with him, and his voice is incredible." Jeff said proudly, throwing an arm over Nick's shoulder. "He wasn't going to audition but I convinced him to. He's a little nervous though, but I believe in him. So, Warblers, here is Nick singing 'Viva La Vida'"  
  
Jeff squeezed Nick into a quick side hug before walking out of the room, pausing at the door so the he could watch Nick much in the way the boy had watched him.  
  
Wes nodded at Nick to start when he was ready, and taking a deep breath the brunette started to sing.  
  
I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone. Sweep the streets I used to own.  
  
Nick's voice shook slightly as he started to sing, but as he got more into the song the music took over, and soon he was singing loudly, confidently, doing the moves Jeff had taught him the best he could.  
  
For some reason I can't explain, Once you're gone there was never, Never an honest word. But that was when I ruled the world  
  
Nick looked at Jeff as he sang that part, and his best friend gave him a broad smile and two thumbs up. Nick smiled back, turning towards the rest of the group to continue.  
  
For some reason I can't explain I know Saint Peter won't call my name. Never an honest word. But that was when I ruled the world  
  
Nick fell still as the song ended, his arms falling to his side and his breathing slightly labored from the effort. But he was happy, and he actually felt like he had sung the song quite decently, if the looks on the others faces said anything.  
  
"Jeff was right. You gave quite the set of lungs, Nick, though your dancing needs a bit of help." Wes smiled slyly, and Nick blushed bright red again because he knew it was true. "I have a feel together though you two are pretty unstoppable."  
  
"We compliment each quite well I like to think." Nick said before he could stop himself, blushing more at his words but Wes merely chuckled in amusement.  
  
"I'm sure you do Nick." Wes said, shaking his head but still chuckling slightly. "We'll put the sheet up tomorrow to let you know who got in, okay boys?"  
  
"Thank you." Nick muttered, inclining his head towards Wes slightly before quickly exiting the room, dragging Jeff behind him. When they're were out of earshot and sight of the other boys, he let go of Jeff's arm in favor of grabbing his ear.  
  
"Ow ow, Nicky what was that for?" Jeff whined, rubbing his ear when Nick finally let go inside of their dorm room. Nick didn't answer, just walked over to his side and started angrily grabbing the things he needed for a shower. "Is this because I made you audition? You killed it Nick, seriously your voice was amazing."  
  
"This isn't about my voice." Nick said finally, slamming his clothes down on his bed, rounding it quickly, walking quickly towards Jeff and poking him hard in the chest. "This is about you not respecting my wishes. I told you I didn't want to join, I told you every day this summer that I wasn't going to audition. You promised me you weren't going to push me."  
  
"Nicky, I know you were nervous but was just trying..." Jeff started, trying to calm down his best friend who had stepped back a few paces when he finished talking. But as soon as Jeff started to speak he whirled around, anger written on his face.  
  
"Don't you dare say you were doing what's best for me." Nick growled, glaring harshly at Jeff and the blonde boy shrunk back under his gaze, shocked. "If you were trying to do what was best for me then you would have left it alone."  
  
"I just wanted to help." Jeff replied quietly, hurt flashing across his face as he took a few more steps away from Nick, his head hung low. "You're always happiest when you're singing and I thought joining the Warblers would make you happier. I'm sorry."  
  
"Jeffy," Nick said softly, the anger flooding out of him as he saw the kicked-puppy face the blonde boy was giving him. It wasn't like he did it to hurt Nick, and he didn't know the whole story. Nick sighed, stepping forward to wrap Jeff into a hug. The boy stiffened slightly, then relaxed, wrapping his arms around Nick in return. "I'm sorry blondie. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You were just trying to help."  
  
"Will you at least think about joining if you get in?" Jeff asked, taking a step back as the hug ended, giving his best friend the best puppy eyes he could manage. "Please? For me?"  
  
Nick groaned, running a hand through his hair. He was powerless to that look and Jeff damn well knew it. "I'll think about it."  
  
"That's all I ask." Jeff grinned, bouncing forward to pull Nick into another quick hug before walking on over to his bed to get his own things ready for that night.  
  
Nick sighed, gather his scattered clothes and items from his bed before walking into the bathroom. As he locked the door and climbed into the shower, the only thought in his mind was 'How am I going to tell my dad about this?'  
  
Because Nick knew without a doubt if he got in he would be joining, that one look from Jeff was all it took to get him to do anything.  
  
Even if it was something his father had forbidden him to do before he came to the school.  
  
...  
  
Blaine fell asleep not long after they got back to his room, had exhausted himself crying and eventually just passed out in Cooper's arms. But not before telling his brother again, between the sobs and the tears, that he wanted to go back home. Only this time, Blaine told him he meant home as in California, back to San Francisco where he was born and raised.  
  
"Everything was better there Coop." Blaine sniffled, rubbing his nose as the tears slowed down a bit, and he could finally look up at his brother. "I miss mom. I miss our house and I miss the sun and I miss the ocean. I just want to go back."  
  
Now the Blaine had fallen asleep, clinging to the stuffed dog Cooper had bought him when he was just a baby, Coop was sitting at the desk trying to figure out what to do. They couldn't go back, at least not permanently until he was a legal adult.  
  
But they could go visit it. Even for just a few days, they could go back and see the home they left behind and give it a proper goodbye. They never got to do that.  
  
And maybe the closure could help Blaine to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise all the chapters won't be this long.  
> Actually I can't promise that I have no idea.


	3. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine's first day of school doesn't go exactly how he planned it.  
> Then again, things usually don't when the Marauders are involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you've been having a lovely fall so far, I know I'm certainly enjoying the weather.  
> I'm sorry this chapter has taken a bit, I am a high school senior so between juggling college applications and school plus babysitting, I don't have a whole lot of free time, so updates may be slightly irregular but I'm trying.  
> Anyways, I hope this chapter was worth the wait.  
> And thank you so much for reading.

Blaine was never a morning person before. It used be that he'd sleep until at least 11 on weekends, would stay in bed until the last second on weekdays because he didn't like getting up.   
  
That all changed after Sadie Hawkins.   
  
Nightmares made it impossible for Blaine to sleep more than a few hours at a time most nights. He'd wake up from nightmares two or three times a night, and so by 5:00 he'd usually given up any chance of trying and would just get up.   
  
Today was no different.   
  
Blaine couldn't remember the nightmare that woke him up. Most nights he didn't anymore, which he supposes he should be thankful for. Not remembering why he was terrified when he awoke made it easier for him to talk himself down out of a panic by focusing on what was around.   
  
The soft sound of his music playing the background, Katy Perry singing through his speakers and filling the otherwise dead quiet dorm room. The harsh glow of his alarm clock on the table beside him, the numbers lit up brightly telling him it was on 5:07. The chill on his legs where he had kicked his blanket off sometime during his nightmare, the softness of his pillow under his head. The comforting blue-grey walls that surrounded him, the empty bed on the other side of the room. The two desks lined side by side underneath the window, through which he could see just the beginnings of morning starting to show.  
  
Blaine sighed deeply, the last bits of panic leaving from his body as he scooted up on his bed, so that he was sitting with his back against the headboard and his legs crossed beneath him. He took another deep breath, releasing this one as he thought about what had happened yesterday. The arriving at Dalton, meeting Wes, the panic attacks, begging Cooper to take him back to California.  
  
God it was all so pathetic. He was pathetic. He had actually had a panic attack just because someone tried to talk to him. Not just once either, but twice. And one time it had been in front of a whole group of boys too. Oh god they were going to give him shit for this. First he was gay, then the nightmares, the PTSD, now he had panic attacks too? He was so weak. So pathetic. He was never going to be able to live this down.  
  
And even though Blaine knew there was a no bullying policy at this school he couldn't stop the panic that washed over him. It was a natural reaction of course, after so many years of bullying it's what you come to expect. So you really could blame Blaine when his breathing started to pick up and his hands started feeling numb. His heart was beating like it was trying to escape his chest, and very vaguely in Blaine's mind it registered that he was having a panic attack. Again.   
  
Only this time he was alone with no one to help, and that only seemed to make his panic more. He gasped, trying to get air into his lungs but it felt like no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't. He couldn't breath and his heart was racing and legs were going numb and the world around him was starting to blur together and all he could think was "I can't die on Cooper. I've already put him through too much. I can't die on him. I can't."  
  
It felt like forever before Blaine felt his body starting to calm down. His breathing started to return to normal, his heart rate slowed and the feeling to his hands and legs returned. The sound of his music playing in the background filled his ears once more, and slowly Blaine came back to planet earth.   
  
He sat for a few minutes staring, unsure what he was supposed to do now that he was calmed again. The numbers on his clock flashed 5:45, it was much too early to go somewhere but he couldn't keep sitting here anymore. Most mornings when he woke up like this he would slip into his workout gear and go attack the punching bag in their garage for a few hours, but he had no idea of they were allowed in the gym this early. And he really didn't want to risk having to see any of the other guys just yet.   
  
Blaine stood up slowly, walking over to the window and staring out over the lake as he tried to think of something to do to distract his mind. He could go exploring the school, but that would run the risk of him meeting someone along the way.   
  
It was then he remembered the track he saw yesterday. Behind the dorm building, on the opposite side of the lake and behind the football field, there was a track tucked away. He could sneak out, run for a little while, sneak back in and take a shower, and have just enough time to find his class before school started. It was perfect.   
  
Blaine took his phone just in case Cooper called him, shoved a hat on his head to hide his hair, and with the proper shoes on, careful snuck out of his room. The door to the school easily opened and closed without making so much of a noise, and Blaine thanked whatever luck he still had for that fact.   
  
With one headphone in so he could keep an ear on the world, and alarm set for 7:00 so he'd enough time to get back in, Blaine turned on his music and started to run.   
  
....  
  
Jeff was a morning person. He had always been a morning person, never slept in past 7:30, was up most days by 6:30, ready to start his day.   
  
Which used to mean taking a shower, getting dressed, and downing two cups of coffee within thirty minutes of one another.  
  
Now though, his mornings included another task: Waking up Nick. Who not only was a very heavy sleeper, but who also hated mornings with a burning passion. He threw several pillows at Jeff when he tried to get him up, cussed him out with every word under the sun, and only finally got out of bed at the promise of coffee, though he grumbled the entire time he got ready, and sent Jeff multiple glares the entire trip down the the dining area.   
  
"Are you going to be like this every morning?" Jeff asked curiously, tilting his head at Nick as he angrily stabbed at his eggs. "Because if so I'm giving to have to invest in some protective gear or something."   
  
"I hate mornings." Nick stressed, taking a very long sip of his coffee before looking up at Jeff, who was wearing a bright grin as he ate his food and waited for him to answer. "Are you going to be this happy every morning?"  
  
"Most mornings I am." Jeff shrugged, laughing when Nick groaned loudly, pushing his plate away so he could rest his head on the table.   
  
"What's wrong with him?" Trent asked, sitting beside Jeff and looking across at Nick confused. He still didn't know either boy very well, they had only met yesterday after all, but they hit it off well enough that Trent felt reasonably comfortable with sitting with them. Even if Nick was acting weird.  
  
"He hates mornings." Jeff replied, stressing the sentence the same Nick did, rolling his eyes when the brown haired boy only groaned in response. "He's also a little dramatic. You'll get used to it after a while."  
  
"Fuck you Jeff." Nick muttered, not lifting his head as he flicked his best friend off, so he didn't see the smirk that attached on his face.  
  
"You wish Nicky." Jeff teased, and even with his face covered he could see the bright red that flushed the boys face.   
  
"I do not." Nick muttered, shifting slightly so his face was still covered but he could now see both Jeff and Trent across from him. Trent just looked vaguely confused, but Jeff was smirking, and so Nick took a well aimed kick in his direction. "Asshole."  
  
"You kicked me!" Jeff cried, his eyes wide in betrayal. Nick shrugged noncommittally, and Jeff turned to Trent and said dramatically "Trent! He kicked me!"   
  
"You deserved it." Trent said, not looking up from his plate even as Jeff gasped, completely offend, and Nick finally lifted his head a bit, laughing.   
  
"And I'm the dramatic one." Nick teased, shaking his head at Jeff who had now scooted away and was pouting a bit. "Oh come on blondie. Get back over here and finish breakfast."   
  
"But you kicked me." Jeff pouted, looking hurt as he crossed his arms, pulling his feet under him. "That wasn't nice."  
  
"Neither was your comment." Nick argued back, biting his lip in hopes of keeping the blush he had only just managed to get rid of from rising on his face again. "You promised to leave it alone."   
  
"I'm sorry Nicky." Jeff apologized, scooting back down so he was sitting in front of his best friend again. "I didn't mean to upset you."   
  
"I know. You never mean to." Nick smiled sadly at Jeff before standing up, grabbing his empty coffee cup. "I'm going to go get some more coffee."   
  
"He likes you." Trent said, watching Nick as he walked away. It wasn't a question, more of an offhand observation, and though Jeff knew it was true it still made him jolt slightly, and he stared at Trent in shock.   
  
"Why do you say that?" Jeff asked defensively, glancing after Nick before looking back to Trent. Nick hadn't even mentioned he was gay to the boy yet, how could he possibly know about his crush.  
  
"You can see it in the way he looks at you." Trent shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, turning to look at Jeff, who now just looked curious as to what he was talking about. "His eyes sparkle when he looks at you in a way they don't when he looks at others. And that sad smile he just gave you? It's because his heart is breaking a little just looking at you. He really likes you Jeff, and he knows you can't love him because you're straight but it doesn't make it hurt any less."   
  
Trent stood, gathering his tray because it was almost time to head to class, but before he walked away he paused, his voice softer as he said "You're a good friend for not freaking out about it. A lot of straight guys flip when they find out their best friend is gay and has a crush on them. I know mine did."  
  
And then Trent was gone and Jeff was left watching him go, confused, trying to figure out why Trent told him what he did when Nick came back, scaring him from his thoughts when he spoke   
  
"Blondie come on, we have classes." Nick said, looking much happier than he had when he walked off, nursing his second cup of coffee. "Jeff?"  
  
"What? Oh yeah, sorry." Jeff shook his head, grabbing his bag and standing up quickly, blushing just slightly. "I just got distracted."   
  
"I noticed." Nick chuckled, knocking their shoulders together as they walked out of the dining room, and towards their first class. "What were you thinking about?"   
  
"Just something Trent said." Jeff said vaguely, shrugging his shoulders, hoping Nick would take it as a sign and not push the topic.   
  
"You nervous to find out about the Warblers?" Nick asked, easily reading his friend and changing the subject without a second thought. "I'm sure you're going to get in, you sounded amazing and dance moves were killer."  
  
"What about you? You were stunning Nick, even with your slightly rusty dance moves, your voice was perfect. They'd be crazy if they didn't let you in." Nick blushed lightly, setting his bag down on the desk next to Jeff and shaking his head in denial.   
  
"I wasn't that good Jeff. And like you said my dancing sucked. You've see the things they done at competition before. There's no way I get in with my moves." Jeff frowned slightly, chewing on his bottom lip. What if Nick was right? What if his bad dance cost him the audition.   
  
"If you don't get in then I'm not joining either." Jeff said decidedly, and Nick sputtered in protest but before he could get a complete sentence out Jeff was waving him off. "We're a team Nicky. One of us isn't as good without the other. You help my singing, and I help your dancing. It's both of us or neither of us."   
  
"Jeffy you've wanted this since you got into Dalton." Nick frowned, turning in his chair so that he could face Jeff, his voice firm as he continued "If I don't get in and you do, you have to join. You'll regret it if you don't."   
  
"But-" Jeff started to argue, but Nick cut him off with that look, one that said it was pointless to argue.  
  
"Butts are for sitting Jeff." Nick joked, his voice firm one that told Jeff they were done talking about it. "And for staring at when people aren't looking."   
  
"And for shaking when you're dancing to get the crowd going." Jeff added, allowing the topic go for now, though he knew later they would have this discussion again. When they were standing waiting for the list outside of the Warbler practice, if Jeff only saw his name but not Nick's, he'd bring it up again. And this time he would win the argument.   
  
But for now he let it go, and focused instead on trying to outdo Nick on things butts were for. This was their friendship. The two of them joking and laughing and saying things that made no sense to others. And he wouldn't trade it for a million chances with the Warblers.  
  
....  
  
It was easier getting back in the school unnoticed than Blaine thought. The common room was filled with boys, but most of them didn't even give him a second look, too busy talking to each other or looking around to pay attention to him. Not for the first time Blaine was grateful for his size. Because whilst being short could be extremely annoying at times, it also made it much easier to go unnoticed in crowds so long as he kept his head down.   
  
So Blaine made it back to his room without incident, immediately jumping into the shower because he knew there was just over an hour until classes started and if he wanted enough time to gel his hair down he had to hurry.   
  
He had just finished getting dressed and was about to start on his hair when there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to reveal Cooper, who grinned instantly when he saw the uniform on his brother.  
  
"You look so grown up." Cooper cooed, pulling Blaine into a hug despite his brothers protest, ruffling his still damp hair. "Are you leaving your hair like this? It looks so much better this way."   
  
"It looks like a mess." Blaine muttered, ducking out of Cooper's embrace and walking back into the bathroom. "You're lucky you didn't get these stupid curls."   
  
"Your curls are adorable Blainey." Cooper told him seriously, following his brother in the bathroom, pausing at the doorway to watch him as he did his hair. "Makes you a total chick magnet. Or dude magnet I guess in your case."   
  
"I would prefer if everyone just ignored me, actually." Blaine replied quietly, looking down so the Cooper wouldn't see the fear that flashed in his eyes. "The curls will make me stand out too much. I want to blend in."   
  
Cooper's face softened at his brothers words, knowing all too well what was running through his brother's mind, and so he didn't push the subject. "Well hurry up then. We still gotta go get breakfast before class starts. And there's that assembly this morning."  
  
"I'm not hungry." Blaine dismissed, trying to keep his tone light as he glanced at Cooper through the mirror, hoping his brother wouldn't realize he was just trying to avoid the dining room. He didn't want his brothers pity. "You should go though. I know how you get when you're not fed."   
  
"Are you sure? We still got 45 minutes until the bell rings, we can wait." Cooper said quickly, watching his brother for any sign of hesitance, any sign that he wanted him to wait.   
  
"I'll be okay Cooper." Blaine promised, turning around so that he was facing his brother. He knew why Cooper didn't want to leave him, because he knew how hard this transition was on Blaine, how scared he was. Coop wanted to be here for him, and he knew that, but he would be okay alone. "Go hang out with your friends. I know you've missed them all summer."   
  
"I'll come back and walk you to first period, okay? And if you need anything I have my phone right here." Cooper gave in, pushing himself off the wall and walking back through Blaine's room. He paused at the door, asking one final time "Are you sure you're going to be okay B? I can stay if you need me."  
  
"Coop, I'm almost 14, I can take care of myself." Blaine said seriously, rolling his eyes and making a shooing motion towards his brother. "Bring me back a coffee. Medium Drip."   
  
"I'll be back soon. Don't leave without me." Cooper said firmly, making sure to close the door softly behind him before walking quickly down the hallway. He didn't like leaving his brother alone, but if he had to he was going to make sure it didn't take too long. Eat quickly, chat briefly, and then grab the coffees and go. Be back in Blaine's room within 20 minutes.  
  
At least, that was his plan before he got ambushed outside of the dining room, identical twin boys each grabbing one of his arms and dragging him away, the three followed by a slightly amused Evan Taylor, who just shook his head when Cooper shot him a confused look. "All they said is that they have a plan."  
  
"A welcome back gift," The twin on the left, Josh Evans said as they turned a corner, heading down the hallway and into the room the art class used for storage. Hidden behind the stacks of canvases and used tarps was a selection of items that could only be described as chaos inducing. Buckets upon buckets of paint balloons, nerf guns and water pistols, two confetti cannons, and a small pile of what suspiciously looked like fireworks.  
  
"We're going to make the assembly a little more interesting." Twin two, James Evans, added, letting go that of Cooper and grabbing a nerf gun, offering it to him.   
  
"If we get caught in blaming you two." Cooper warned, but there was a wide smile on his face and he took the gun easily, running his finger over the word carved into it as all eyes turned to Evan, who was staring at fireworks skeptically.   
  
"Come on Evan." James teased,   
  
"You know you want to join us." Josh continued, holding out another nerf gun to Evan.   
  
"I'm supposed to be keeping you three in line." Evan muttered, looking down at the badge that glimmered on his chest, marking him as one of the four perfects of Dalton Academy. There was one for every dorm floor in Dalton, and a fourth that took care of the day students, members of the student body whose job was to keep their fellow students safe and relatively in control. It was their job to make sure everyone was in bed by curfew, and their job to make sure that nobody caused trouble.  
  
"I see it more as a challenge really." Cooper shrugged, smirking slightly as he watched Evans's resolve start falling. "Dean Windsor didn't really expect you to stay out of trouble."   
  
Evan sighed heavily, taking the gun from Josh who fist pumped the air happily. His gun had the same word carved in it, as did the ones the two twins now stood holding, both of them sporting identical grins.  
  
"And so the Marauders are together again." The twins said together, and Evan groaned as he realized exactly what he had just agreed to.  
  
"God what am I getting into?"  
  
...  
  
Blaine was reading when a knock came on his door 30 minutes later, he was so immersed in his book that he didn't notice, didn't even hear the door open until whoever was at the door spoke, standing directly beside his bed "Blaine? It's time for class."   
  
The reaction was instant. Blaine jumped,  his hardback cover of the fourth Harry Potter book flying out of his hands and smacking whoever it was directly in the face, sending them stumbling backwards as another boy by the door started laughing loudly.   
  
"Cooper did say he was jumpy." The second boy said from the door, still laughing as the first boy sent him a very unhappy glare, standing up and brushing off his clothes before picking up the book gently.   
  
"I think you dropped this." The first boy smiled at Blaine, holding the book out and approaching the boy slowly, like you would a frightened animal. "Don't worry, it was my fault. I didn't mean to scare you like that."   
  
Blaine stared, eyes wide as he looked between the two boys trying to figure out exactly what was going on. The second his book went flying he had scooted across the bed, his back pressed firmly on the far side of the headboard, his knees pulled to his chest, and he was trying desperately not to panic. It wasn't working.   
  
"Hey, it's okay Blaine. We're not going to hurt you." The first boy said gently, pausing at the edge of the bed, the book still outstretched. "I'm Josh Evans. That's Evan Taylor. We're Cooper's friends, remember?"  
  
"Best friends." Evan added from the doorway, a small smile on his face that he hoped would at least make them look approachable to Blaine. Look like they weren't trying to hurt him. "Some of them anyways. The school calls the lot of us the Marauders. We're a bit of pranksters, I admit, but generally speaking harmless."  
  
Someone walking by the hallway snorted at that, yelling as he passed by "You four are about as harmless as a pack of lions."  
  
Evan turned his head slightly, yelling at the retreating back "We're trying not to scare him off Charlie, but thanks for that!"   
  
"You're welcome." The voice yelled back, and the sound of laughter following as he walked away, fading as he walked into the entry hall, most likely heading off to class.   
  
"We might have a bit of a reputation." Josh admitted, glancing at  before turning back to Blaine, who still looked utterly terrified but had at least taken his book and was currently clutching it to his chest, and there was the slightest bit of curiosity in his eyes. "But we really aren't horrible."   
  
"And Cooper made us swear not to prank you. Or scare you." Evan added earnestly, rubbing the back of his neck when he added the last part. "Which we've already done. Sorry. It wasn't on purpose though."   
  
"He asked as to bring you to him, by the way." Josh said, suddenly remembering why they were there in the first place. "He got a little tangled up in some things."  
  
Evan and Josh shared meaningful a look, smirking slightly in a way that wasn't lost on Blaine. If he wasn't so frightened, and if his mouth actually worked, he might have asked what they meant but as it was he was having a hard enough time not having another panic attack.   
  
"Anyways," Josh smiled brightly, turning back to Blaine and motioning for the boy to stand up, finding his book bag and throwing it onto the bed beside the boy. "Let's go! Cooper said he'd meet us by the stairs, and I'm guessing he's just about done with his things, so we better hurry. Don't want him to worry too much."   
  
Josh walked off towards the door, pausing by Evan to wait for Blaine, who was very slowly and very carefully inching his way off the bed. Clutching tightly to his bag with both hands, his phone tucked safely in his pocket for quick access if he needed, Blaine made his way towards the door, stopping a little ways away from the boys and eyeing them nervously.   
  
He remembered them, of course, from the few brief times they met when they had come to swoop Cooper away, from all the Skype calls they would crash, and most importantly from the pictures that were scattered around his older brothers room. So Blaine knew that they were good guys, that generally speaking he was in good hands in regards to safety but ... he also knew of their extensive pranking record. And that mixed with the fact that everything in general still scared the crap out of him, well you can't blame him for being wary.   
  
"Make sure you stay close Blaine." Evan said, leading the way down the hall and out the door, both boys slowing their pace to match Blaine's. The last thing they needed was to lose Coop's kid brother on his first day of school. Especially after yesterday.   
  
"There's a lot of excitement going on, especially out near the front of the school. All the day students will be pouring in, as well as those that didn't make it last night." Josh added, stepping closer to Blaine as they neared the doors that led into the main building, through which Blaine could already see the mass of students.  "And a lot of new students who have no idea where to go. And everyone who is coming from breakfast."   
  
"I am going to kill you Martin! Actually and rightfully kill you!" The scream came from the doors behind them, and it made Blaine jump more than he would care to admit, stumbling backwards into the railing, and just in time for a second later the doors flew open and two boys came running past them. One was tall, with brown hair and green eyes, a mischievous grin on his face as he ran past them, followed by a much shorter angry black hair boy who was absolutely soaked from head to toe in what Blaine assumed must have been ice water. "Jesse Levi Martian I swear to god you better get your ass back here!"  
  
"Well I predict that roommatecy ending in Jesse's death." Josh sighed, shaking his head amused as he the second boy disappeared through the door, still yelling threats after the first boy. "It's only been a day and he's already pulling this crap. It's like he has a death wish or something."   
  
Blaine blinked, not entirely sure if Josh was joking or not. He had no idea who that boy was, but he looked livid when he ran past. And he was talking about killing someone. Just the thought made Blaine shiver, shrinking in on himself as he stared after the pair. He could not get in that boy's bad side.  
  
"Don't mind Brock. He's always a bit of a bitch when he first gets back to school." Evan reassured Blaine, laughing slightly when unbelieving eyes turned towards him. "He's a bit of a diva anyways, but it's worse after he comes back from his house. His parents are basically giant assholes to him."  
  
"He's not the only one with parental problems of course, a lot of boys are sent here because their parents don't want to deal with them." Josh added, gently grabbing Blaine's shoulder and leading him into the foyer of the school as he spoke. "But like Evan said, Brock is a major diva. He is captain of the drama club, so it makes sense. And he wants to be an actor, so I guess it suits him."   
  
They came to a stop a little ways away from the crowds at the stairs, Blaine instantly shying away from Josh's touch now that they had stopped. He backed into a wall, liking the comfort of having something protecting at least one side of him, and looked around, hoping to spot his brother somewhere in the madness that was going on around them.  
  
"It seems our dear boys are running late." Evan said, standing on his toes to look around for Cooper. Being the shortest of the four boys though, he couldn't see above the crowd, and eventually he just fell back against the wall beside Blaine with a huff, brushing his brown fringe out of his eyes. "Or did we tell James the wrong spot?"   
  
"Not possible. James and I never get things mixed up. It's part of being twins." Josh rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall on the other side of Blaine, effectively trapping the boy in on three of his sides. Blaine, feeling a rush of panic wash over him at the thought of being trapped, but before he could step away from the wall another body appeared in front of him, and Blaine found himself effectively surrounded by the three older boys.  
  
"You found little Anderson!" The new boy exclaimed, his green eyes shining down at the smaller boy, who blinked back in alarm, shrinking closer to the wall as he looked between Josh and the second boy, who looked... well identical.  
  
"And you've lost the elder Anderson." Evan replied, looking around for Cooper but not catching sight of him. "Please tell me you did not ditch him when you got caught."   
  
"If we'd been caught you would have heard." Josh said lightly, waving his hand lightly in Evan's direction completely unconcerned.  
  
"We'd be running right now." The new boy added, rolling his eyes. "No way we'd stick around to get caught."   
  
"He's probably just got stopped to talk to someone. He is incredibly popular for some reason." Josh shared a look with both boys, and all three of the simultaneously groaned in annoyance.   
  
"Aw don't be jealous boys," Cooper teased, coming up behind the third boy and resting his head on his shoulder, grinning. "Just because I'm the lead singer of the most popular club in school."   
  
"You're also incredibly charismatic and can charm the pants of anybody with just a smile." Evan grumbled annoyed, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. Though the three would never admit it, Cooper had talked them out of a lot of trouble with that smile. It was handy, but hell would freeze over before any one of them admitted that.   
  
Cooper smiled widely in response, turning his gaze downwards to meet the eyes of his brother, not missing the overwhelming relief that washed over Blaine's face the instant their eyes met. "Hey B. These three haven't scared you too much, have they?"   
  
Blaine shook his head, blushing just slightly as four sets of eyes turned towards him, and he quickly averted his gaze to the ground, pulling his bag tighter to his side and trying desperately not to think about how terrified he was.  
  
"B?" Cooper's voice was quiet, and when Blaine slowly lifted his head he noticed his brother was standing directly in front of him, crouching just a bit so that he could look him in the eye. "Hey, those three are harmless okay? I know they're a little crazy sometimes, we all are, but really, they won't hurt you. James and Josh might confuse the hell out of you with who's who, and Evan might annoy you a bit because he's a perfect and it's job, but they won't harm you. I promise."   
  
"We're Cooper's best friends." James, or that's who assumed the third boy must be, said, offering Blaine his own small smile.   
  
"And you're his brother. That makes you one of us." Josh added, eyes flickering towards his own brother, who nodded in agreement. "We take the bonds of brotherhood very seriously."   
  
"The four of us have your back Blaine." Cooper promised, placing a hand on either of his brother's shoulders, staring at him for a moment longer before pulling the smaller boy into a hug. "You're going to be safe here, I promise."   
  
Cooper held the hug for a long time, eventually it was Blaine that pulled away, the corners of his lips turned up just ever so slightly in a smile. He was still scared, the anxiety was eating away in the back of his mind, but standing in the midst of those four boys he felt just the tiniest bit less afraid.   
  
"You ready for class B?" Cooper asked, standing up the straight. Blaine nodded, adjusting his bag on his shoulder, before looking up at his brother expectantly, ready to go. "There's going to be an assembly not long after first period starts. Do I need to come get you or are you going to be okay in the crowds alone?"   
  
Blaine shook his head quickly before Cooper finished, not wanting to inconvenience the older boy anymore than he already had. Sure Blaine knew dealing with the crowds would be hell alone, but Cooper had been babysitting him far too long. His brother needed to be free.   
  
"We can pick up little Anderson." Josh piped up from behind Cooper, sharing a looking with his brother.  
  
"We have to pass his hallway anyways." James agreed, and Cooper narrowed his eyes at the pair, trying to figure what exactly they were up to. If the mischievous glint in their eye was any indication, it certainly was no good.   
  
"And we know all the shortcuts away from the crowds." Josh continued, and the pair gave him matching innocent smiles as they said together "We'll deliver him safely to you."  
  
"I don't trust you." Cooper muttered, and the twins gasped dramatically as if he had just said something to offend them, but he ignored them in favor of looking down at Blaine, who was watching the pair with just a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Blaine, do you want Tweedledee and Tweedledum here to pick you up for the assembly?"  
  
Blaine shrugged, dropping his gaze to the ground as he thought. On one hand he really did like the twins, if Sadie Hawkins had never happened, he knew he would have been friends with them in an instant. But it had happened. And now, even though the rational part of his brain was saying it was okay, the anxiety was trying its hardest to convince him it wasn't.  
  
No. Goddamnit no, he wasn't going to let this anxiety rule him. It had already ruined his summer, he wasn't going to let it ruin his school year too. Dalton was supposed to be safe. And he was supposed to be starting over.  
  
Blaine lifted his head, suddenly sure of his answer, and nodded, looking his brother directly in the eye. Yes. He would go with the twins for the assembly.   
  
Cooper didn't say anything, but smiled down at his brother as the twins high fived happily behind him. For the first time since the dance, Cooper had seen a fire lit in Blaine's eyes. And for the first time since the dance, he saw a glimmer of hope that his brother would get better.  
  
...  
  
The assembly wasn't supposed to start until halfway through first period. Blaine's science teacher, Ms. Chambers had told them as much, which is why he was surprised when not even five minutes into class there was a knock on the door, and two identical blonde head popped in, grinning brightly.   
  
"Hello Ms. Chambers," Josh said sweetly, skipping into the room.  
  
"We came for Blaine." James continued, walking over to where Blaine sat in the back of the room, his eyes slightly wide. Several of kids in the room exchanged looks, confused, and Blaine shrunk away from their looks.   
  
"Cooper wanted us to look after him. Make sure he gets to the assembly okay." Josh was stuffing Blaine's binder back into his bag as he spoke, and James slung it over his shoulder as soon he finished.   
  
"The assembly doesn't start for 15 more minutes boys." Ms. Chambers said, trying to look stern but her eyes were twinkling in amusement as the two boys helped Blaine up, each hooking their arms with one of his.  
  
"We know." They chorused together, walking towards the front of the class, pulling Blaine along with them gently and stopping right in front of the teacher, giving her matching charming smiles.  
  
"And so what makes you think I'm going to let you take Blaine out of here so easily?" Blaine winced at sternness in Ms. Chambers tone, his eyes dropping to the ground and a bright red blush spread across his face. On instinct he took a step back, and the twins quickly moved with him to avoid having the smaller boy slip from their grasp. Ms. Chambers frowned when he did so, looking to the twins who were staring down at their new friend in a mix of concern and confusion. But Blaine refused to look up, and after a moment she gave up waiting, and sighed heavily as she said "Fine, fine. Take him. But make sure he gets to that assembly Mr. Evans. No funny business."   
  
"Of course Ms. C." Josh grinned, turning with his brother and leading Blaine out the door. "We'll see you there."   
  
The door slammed closed behind them, and this time when Blaine jumped he really did pull away from the twins, his heart pounding as he spun around rapidly, looking for any signs of the bullies that chased him out of his old school.   
  
Luckily though, he saw none, and after a minute he came to a stop, his hands shaking as he tried his best to get his breathing under control, get his heart rate to slow down.  
  
The twins shared a look, concerned, and slowly they approached Blaine holding up their hands in hopes of not seeming threatening. "Blaine?"  
  
Blaine looked up at them, his eyes wide, but didn't back away as they approached, just stood and stared, even as Josh came and placed an arm around his shoulder, and James crouched slightly to look him in the eye. "Hey, it's okay Blaine. You're safe. We don't know what set you off, but Josh and I have you okay? There's no bullies here."   
  
Blaine stared at him for moment, as if he was fighting an internal battle. James was about to say something more, reassure the boy that nothing was going to harm him, when suddenly Blaine nodded at him very slowly. Then he tried to say something, but nothing more came out than a few stutters. He blushed, looking at the floor as he nodded again.   
  
"Come on Ariel. We've got a surprise for you." Josh said, squeezing Blaine's shoulder, and the younger boy looked up at him confused, still slightly red.   
  
"It's a nickname. You've lost your voice, just like Ariel." James explained as they started walking again.  
  
"And just like Ariel, you'll get it back someday." Josh continued, and they turned down the hallway where the art classes were held.   
  
"But until then we will learn to communicate in other ways." James said, giving Blaine a bright smile that the boy tentatively returned.   
  
"Besides learning to communicate without speaking really is essential-"  
  
"-especially when you're up to no good."  
  
"That's why we're the kings of mayhem"  
  
"We always know what the other is thinking just by looking at him"  
  
"It'll come in handy when you join the Marauders"  
  
"Actually we have the perfect way for you to join"  
  
"Right now actually. At the assembly"  
  
"It's going to be dreadfully boring."   
  
"We've sat through it two times now, we would know."  
  
"So we decided to spice things up a bit."  
  
The twins shared matching grins, and Blaine looked up at them warily as they threw open the door to the art storage room, quickly leading Blaine inside before pulling the door shut, much quieter this time so as not to scare the younger boy again.   
  
Josh lead Blaine through the mess of the room and back to their hidden stash, which looked nothing like it had earlier. Only the nerf guns remained in the center of the room, flanked on each side by a confetti cannon. The paint balloons had already been throughout the gym by Cooper and James, and the fireworks had been moved back to the twins room for tonight.   
  
Both still grinning, Josh moved to stand at his brother side, and James held a nerf gun out to Blaine, and together they asked "Care to join us in a little mayhem Ariel?"  
  
Blaine paused a moment, considering them, and then very tentatively, and with a lot of courage, he accepted the nerf gun.   
  
If he had known what he was getting into then, maybe he would have been a bit more hesitant to accept.  
  
...  
  
"So..." Dean Windsor said, looking between the seven boys that sat in her office, all covered in various amounts of water and paint and confetti. Blaine shifted uncomfortably under the Dean's gaze, biting his lip and looking down at the floor as he braced himself for what was about to come. "Whose idea was it to crash my assembly?"   
  
Evan coughed awkwardly beside Blaine, averting his eyes to the ceiling, Wes and David shared guilty looks, and the twins stared forward with their best poker faces, but no one said a word. In hopes of comforting his brother, Cooper reached over and gave his hand a tight squeeze.   
  
"Nobody?" Windsor tried again, but still no one spoke, even as she gave every last one of them a piercing glare, stopping on the twins, who stared back evenly. "Well I have a pretty good guess of course."  
  
Windsor leaned back in her chair, carefully considering the boys in front of her. Six of them she was quite used to seeing, sometimes she was sure they spent more time in her office than they did anywhere else, but there was one face she didn't recognize. Leaning forward again, hands pressed firmly together, she asked "And who exactly are you?"   
  
Blaine lifted his head slowly, eyes wide as he gazed back at Windsor, his heart racing much more than it had been only moments before. Cooper's grip tightened on his hand, a silent reassurance everything would be okay, and he spoke for his brother "This is my little brother, Blaine."   
  
"The same little brother you swore wouldn't cause any trouble if I had him admitted?" Windsor asked, turning her gaze to Cooper, who gave a slight shrug and an apologetic smile in return. "He sort of just got caught up in it?"   
  
Windsor sighed, shaking her head a Cooper before turning her gaze to Evan, who blinked back wide-eyed in return. "Aren't you supposed to be keeping them out of trouble?"  
  
"Don't you think I would if I was able to?" Evan said, and Windsor cracked just the slightest of smiles at him in return.   
  
"It hasn't even been a full day and you've already destroyed the gym. Not to mention you've ruined the uniforms of every single Dalton student, and staff member for that matter, effectively shutting down classes until at least after lunch so that everyone gets a chance to clean up. Including day students." Windsor sighed again, looking between the seven boys in front of her, hoping to see at least some kind of remorse, but Blaine was the only one that seemed even remotely guilty. The twins looked almost proud. "So, pray tell, why I shouldn't suspend you all immediately."  
  
"Because you love us Dean Windsor," Josh, or maybe it was James, said, smiling brightly and easily. Beside him his brother was doing the same thing.   
  
"You know it'd be awful boring without us here"  
  
"Quiet"  
  
"Lonely"  
  
"With no one coming to visit you all the time"  
  
"You'd miss us"  
  
"We're Dalton's heart and soul."   
  
"The school wouldn't be the same without us."  
  
Dean Windsor pursed her lips at the boys, seemingly unamused as she looked at them again, letting silence hang over the room before delivering her verdict. "You'll all under campus arrest for two weeks. No leaving the grounds, and no outside visitors either. And you're responsible for helping to pay for anything that was damaged or broken beyond repair during the chaos you caused. Understood?"   
  
"Yes Dean Windsor." The six boys replied together, varying levels of defeat in their voices, and Blaine shakily nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"You're dismissed then. Blaine," The younger Anderson, still clinging onto his brother with his legs shaking slightly, looked up at Dean Windsor with wide eyes, and even she couldn't help but smile slightly at how much like a deer in a headlight that he looked. "Watch yourself around these boys okay? They're pure trouble in the best of times."   
  
"It's true." Wes agreed solemnly, and beside him David nodded his head in consent "We're in here at least once a week."   
  
"Sometimes more," James said happily  
  
"Our record is 12 times in a week"  
  
"We got dorm arrested for a whole week"  
  
"Campus arrest for two months"  
  
"And we had to work through the spring festival"  
  
"Our parents got called"  
  
"Some of them were more upset than others"  
  
"Wes's mom laughed"  
  
"Evan's dad grounded him all of Spring Break."  
  
"Just be careful hanging out with them, Blaine. You're only a Freshman, and after the issues at your old school, I'd expect you'll be wanting to avoid trouble, at least for a little while." Dean Windsor warned, and slowly Blaine managed to nod once to show he at least understood her.   
  
"Too late for that." The twins chorused, laughing as they led the way out of the door. "Ariel's one of us now."  
  
....  
  
An hour later 8 freshly cleaned boys sat around Blaine's room, having arrived in staggered amounts after scrubbing the paint off of them. The twins arrived first, and took to distracting themselves by asking Blaine yes or no questions and trying to guess things about him until Cooper arrived with Evan and shooed them away, so they had now busied themselves looking through Blaine's book and movie collection. Evan's little brother Mason followed not long afterwards, scolding his older brother for not at least warning him that he was going to pull something like this because now his $200 shoes were ruined, and he had just bought them. Cooper retorted that maybe he shouldn't wear $200 shoes to school, and was now in the middle of an argument with the boy over what was too much for a pair of shoes. Mason believed fashion had no price, but Cooper believed it firmly did at $60.   
  
Wes and David were the last to arrive, having apparently gotten into a fight over who had first rights to the shower, a fight they seemed to be continuing now as the sat facing each other on the second empty bed. David claimed he had seniority, being a few months older than Wes, but Wes was arguing that he claimed power because he was the leader of the council. He also claimed the right to hit David with his gavel, which got Evan's attention long enough for the boy to attempt to take said gavel from Wes, and now the two of them had begun fighting over it as well.  
  
Blaine watched all of this from where he sat on his bed, his back against the headboard and his legs pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them with his chin resting in his knees. It's where he had been sitting since the twins first barged in, and where he stayed as the others came in and filled the room with their voices and their bodies, relaxing across the spare bed and the floor as if it was the most normal thing in the world, like it was something they did everyday. No one even gave Blaine a second glance, but not in the way they made it seem like they didn't care. No, it was more as if his presence and silence was as much a part of their dynamic as Wes threatening the others with his gavel or the twins completing each other's sentences. It was like he had always been there, like he... belonged.   
  
The thought made Blaine smile just slightly, a warm feeling washing over him as looked at everyone in the room. He couldn't explain why or how, but for some reason sitting in that room, he felt safe. He felt like he had a home.  
  
From across the room Cooper caught Blaine's eye, and a grin spread across the older Anderson's face as he saw the absolute wonder on his brother's face. Only a few years ago he had been in the same place, and his heart swelled slightly as he thought about the first he had looked around at his friends and realized that they were his family. It was the happiest feeling he had ever felt, and if the small grin Blaine was giving them all now was any indication, he felt the exact same way.  
  
.....  
  
Any hope Dean Windsor's held that classes could be resumed by the end of lunch was lost when she realized that some of the day students lived over an hour away and that it would be nearly impossible for them to get back in time. Many of the teachers that didn't live on campus faces similar problems.  
  
So classes were cancelled for the day. The boys stayed decided to stay in Blaine's room, building a fort between the two beds for all of them to gather in, built out of blankets and pillows the twins stole from every dorm they could. Wes and David left and brought back large amounts of junk food and drinks the boys ate for lunch, and Evan brought his blu-ray player down and hooked it to Blaine's tv so that they could watch some of the movies that the younger Anderson owned.   
  
The twins chose the first movie, shoving The Little Mermaid into the disc slot before anyone could stop them, promptly taking seats on either side of Blaine in the back of the fort, grinning widely.   
  
Cooper laughed when the menu came up, and ducked out of the blankets just as someone hit play, coming back with a stuffed dog he threw at Blaine, who caught it blushing brightly. "You need Sebastian to watch your movie, Ariel."   
  
"You named it Sebastian?" David asked amused, and Blaine blushed more, hiding his face in his hands.   
  
"Blaine's obsessed with the Little Mermaid. When he was little, he'd watch it like everyday. Even now he still loves it." Cooper laughed, amused by his brothers obvious embarrassment. The others laughed too, and without thinking both twins threw their arms around him in a hug.  
  
"Aw don't be embarrassed Ariel." They cooed together, and the others laughed harder as Blaine tried to wiggle away from the boys, even his ears turning red now, but they refused to let go. "It's cute."   
  
"I nearly died when I first heard you call him that," Cooper admitted, looking between the twins and then to Blaine, who was glaring at him harshly, daring him to say another word. Coop smirked, saying "When we were kids he told me he wanted to be Ariel when he grew up. And now he is."   
  
One of the twins grabbed a nerf gun from under the pillows they were sitting on, handing it to Blaine before both of them backed away from him, and the angry glare he was still giving Cooper.   
  
Blaine didn't think twice about shooting the gun, smirking just slightly when he hit his older brother directly between the eyes.   
  
The red mark it left should have been more than enough to teach him a lesson about sharing Blaine's secrets.   
  
Just in case though, Blaine shot Cooper one more time.   
  
....  
  
Three movies later it was nearing 6:00, when the Warblers were set to meet to induct their new members. Wes had the list of the boys who had been chosen, and left at 5:45 to go downstairs and post it, threatening the others with bodily harm if they didn't arrive in time.   
  
The others laughed, but Blaine just watched Wes go warily, thinking about his gavel and the fact that he already made it pretty clear he had no reservations about hitting someone with it. He was almost certain that if Evan hadn't stopped him earlier Wes would have hit David with the gavel earlier when they were fighting.   
  
Biting his lip, Blaine crawled across the fort and over to Cooper, whispering softly in his brother's ear to ask him how serious Wes actually was, and shouldn't they maybe go so he doesn't hurt any of them. Cooper laughed, placing a light kiss on the younger boy's head, assuring him that the only one Wes ever hits with his gavel was David.  
  
"We should probably get going though." Cooper agreed, standing up and pulling Blaine to his feet, checking the time on his phone. "Wes might not hit us with his gavel but he most certainly will yell at us if we're late."   
  
The others mumbled in a agreement, standing up as well. The twins helped David up and into his crutches, and carefully he made his way to the door, Evan following directly behind him to make sure he didn't trip.   
  
"Ariel are you coming with us?" James (Josh? Blaine still didn't know) asked, and Blaine tilted his head in response, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. He wasn't a Warbler, why would he go with them?  
  
"We took a vote last night and decided you were allowed at all Warbler meetings." Josh(?) explained, and this only served to confuse Blaine more. Even he knew that Warbler meetings were sacred. Cooper had told him that many times before.   
  
"The Warblers helped Cooper a lot when he came here, so we figured it work for you too." James shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. "Knew you wouldn't join, so we decided to give you special access to any and all meetings."  
  
"And maybe the music can help you defeat the sea witch and get your voice back." Josh added teasingly, walking over and nudging Blaine just the slightest in his side, grinning.   
  
"Or help you get back your voice and then defeat the witch," James said, coming beside his brother. "Whichever works."   
  
Blaine stared at the two for a moment, eyes wide, before turning to look at Cooper, startled to notice his brother had tears in his eyes as he looked around at his friends. Blaine tugged on his brother's sleeve to get his attention, concerned something was wrong, but then blue eyes met hazel and Cooper was smiling as he wrapped an arm around Blaine, squeezing his brother's shoulder to assure him he was okay. "Happy tears B, don't worry. I just..., thank you all so much."   
  
"Group hug," The twins declared together, pulling both Blaine and Cooper  to them before the brothers got a chance to protest. Mason happily joined them, pulling along a somewhat reluctant Evan in with him. David stood by the door watching, not willing to risk trying to get there and back without tripping over something on the floor.   
  
"As heartwarming as all this is, weren't we supposed to be going somewhere?" David asked after a minute, glancing down at his watch and then back up towards the group. "Unless you want Wes to give us a lecture on the importance of being on time, I suggest we get going."  
  
"Party popper." The twins frowned, but they let go of the Anderson brothers, their arms falling dramatically to their sides.   
  
"Aw, don't pout boys. When we get downstairs you can cuddle all you want." Mason soothed, causing the pair to perk up immediately at the thought and they each grabbed one of the boys arms before marching him out of the room, almost knocking over an amused David in the process, who shook his head before going after them.  
  
"They crave physical affection, the twins do. Try to cuddle with anybody and everybody." Cooper explained fondly, leading the other two out of the room and closing the door softly behind them. "We're not really sure why, but we're pretty sure it has something to do with them being twins."  
  
"Always had someone there from the time they were born, makes sense they want to keep it that way." Evan agreed, nodding his head like it wasn't the first time they had talked about it, but rather a conversation that had quite often. "Of course not everyone is comfortable with their outward affection, some of the boys get downright rude when the twins try, but it never stops them from trying."  
  
"Could anything stop those two?" David snorted, rolling his eyes at the boys who were already halfway across the bridge, talking adamantly to Mason about something that, when a few of their words drifted back to the others, only sounded like trouble.  
  
 "Well they're up to no good." Cooper said brightly, and David rolled his eyes, hitting the older Anderson lightly with one of his crutches as they neared the Warbler practice room.  
  
"Don't encourage them." David scolded, walking down the few steps that led into the room before adding over his shoulder "At least not until this round of punishment is almost up."   
  
Cooper grinned, laughing quietly as he followed David into the room, Blaine trailing very apprehensively behind. Every eye was on them as they came in, and Blaine froze the second he noticed the number of boys in the room. Nearly 20 of them, each one staring at Cooper, and more importantly at Blaine, who they had never met but all knew so much about.   
  
"It's okay B." Cooper soothed his brother softly, wrapping a gentle arm around his brother's shoulders before turning to the group, announcing proudly "Everyone, this is my baby brother Blaine. He's a little shy, but we're working on it. Courage, right B?"  
  
Blaine, hardly aware of what he was doing, nodded just slightly, and Cooper squeezed him tightly, encouragingly. "The twins told me you guys had agreed to let him join us during meetings. I know how much these practices mean to all of us, the traditions and whatnot, so I wanted to thank you all for agreeing to make an exception in the rules. It means a lot to me, and I know it does to Blaine too."   
  
Again Blaine nodded just slightly, and when his eyes caught one of the twins, he managed a slight smile at their prompting. This caused the twin to beam back in response, reaching across Mason to point the feat out to his brother, who matched his grin at Blaine, adding his own thumbs up in encouragement that somehow made Blaine feel infinitely safer. Especially when Mason caught on and now he had three boys cheering him on with exaggerated grins, each one of them trying to shove their hands and faces to the front, each trying to get Blaine to smile more.   
  
"B, do you want to go sit down? I have to stay here and help induct the new kids, but you can go join the boys. They don't bite." Blaine jumped slightly, realizing his brother was talking to him again, but before he could even process what Cooper had said, let alone form an answer, a hand was grabbing his wrist gently, pulling him towards the couches.   
  
"Ariel you can sit with me." One of the twins, Blaine was pretty sure it was James, said as he dragged Blaine along falling back into his seat by Mason before, patting the space he left between him and the arm of the couch for Blaine to sit. Hesitantly he did, looking around at the others nervously, but no one seemed to be looking at him anymore, except one dark haired boy who glanced briefly at him before asking to no one in particular   
  
"Did he just call Cooper's brother Ariel?" Blaine blushed brightly, covering his face as scattered laughter broke out across the room, and the twins nodded beside him with proud grins.   
  
"Blaine lost his voice-"  
  
"-to the sea witch-"  
  
"-just like Ariel did."  
  
"We're trying to help him get it back-"  
  
"-but we haven't found out where she's hiding it."   
  
"So if any of you see an old creepy locket, let us know."  
  
"Might have a clue."  
  
"Or something else important."   
  
The twins explanation only got more boys laughing. Either that or the fact that Blaine's face was red enough to pass for Ariel's hair, or maybe it was two combined. Either way, the Warblers were quickly dissolving into fits of laughter that took Wes hitting his gavel several times, very loudly and harshly, to get them to settle down.   
  
Blaine's face was still covered, but he flinched closer to James with each bang the gavel gave, shaking enough that the older boy was wrapping an arm around him without thinking, humming lightly over the noise to calm the younger Anderson down.   
  
"This is why we want to set it on fire." James muttered, mostly to himself, but it got a fleeting smile from Blaine anyways, who was still leaning on him even though Wes had finally set the gavel down, and was now lecturing the boys on being on their best behavior for the newbies. "If we steal it, you won't rat us out, right?"  
  
Blaine winced as Wes hit the gavel again, shaking his head quick enough to make James laugh slightly, but before he could say anything else the room fell completely silent and the doors were opened, revealing the new members standing in a line, waiting.   
  
And Cooper who was standing by the door grinned, motioning for the boys to step inside, gesturing to the group behind him. "Welcome to Hogwarts."  
  
A few of the older members chuckled at this, but the new ones all shared wary glances, most of them looked nervous and unsure over how they should respond, and when Cooper got no response he let his arms drop to his side, huffing dramatically as he did.   
  
"Fine you got me, it's not Hogwarts. But we are pretty magical in here, aren't we guys?" The boys shouted over themselves as they tried to answer Cooper's question, at least until Wes banged his gavel a few times to get them to fall silent. Blaine let out the softest of whimpers in shock from the sudden noise, and James's arm tightened around him protectively.   
  
"Tonight will be your initiation. If you survive that, you will officially be a member." Cooper continued on, his voice sound slightly sinister as he spoke, one of the boys actually looked scared at the prospect of what was to come. "We can't tell you when or what the initiation is, but I can assure you that it is legal in the state of Ohio."   
  
"Or at least, we haven't been arrested yet so we assume it is." Josh butted in, looking over at his brother with a bright smile that faltered as soon as he noticed the frown on his face. But a second later James looked up and plastered his own smile on his face.  
  
"And no one's gotten seriously hurt in years." James added, causing the apprehension on the new boys' faces grow. Josh frowned slightly at his brother, knowing just from his voice that something was off. But he couldn't quite place what it was, and when went to ask James simply shook his head and mouthed 'Later.'  
  
"We'll come fetch you boys when the time is right. Be ready, because it could happen at any moment." The six boys nodded, and by this point it was only the blonde boy with sparkling brown eyes and way too much energy, if the way he bounced in place was any indication, who was still smiling brightly, not a hint of fear on his face.   
  
"If that's everything, than this meeting is over." No one said anything, so Wes hit his gavel again to signal the end, and Blaine flinched in response, closing his eyes against the noise. Beside him James started to hum again, quietly, as the noise rose in the room and everyone started to stand up, some exiting the room others standing in groups to talk.   
  
"Hey Ariel, let's go okay?" James said softly, waiting until the younger boy had opened his eyes again before slowly standing up, pulling Blaine up with him, keeping a protective arm around his shoulders. And Blaine, still shaking slightly from Wes's gavel and scared by the sheer amount of noise created by the boys as they moved through the room, leaned on James, trying very hard to focus on the humming the boy was doing instead of the fear racing through him.   
  
"Mase, can you tell the others we're going?" James asked, turning to look at Mason who was still sitting in the couch, watching them.  
  
"Of course." Mason replied after a moment, standing up and walking through the crowd without so much as a question as to why. James then turned his head to look at Josh, who stood up also and came to Blaine's other side, wrapping his arm around the younger boy as well, the two of them leading him out of the room and down the hallway, James humming soothingly as they did.   
  
Blaine was just seeming to calm down when they entered his room, he wasn't shaking anymore and when he lifted his head to look at the twins, he no longer looked scared. His eyes had filled with tears though, and all it took was James's soft question of "Are you okay?" to cause the younger boy to burst into tears.   
  
Josh and James shared a look before they both turned, wrapping Blaine in the middle of a group hug before gently lowering themselves to the floor. And they held him as he cried in between them, not saying a word out loud to each but there was no need. They were twins after all, they could have a whole conversation without ever making a sound.  
  
But you didn't need to be a twin to read the looks the two boys were giving Blaine now. It was clear as day to anybody what both of them were thinking. Beating Blaine's "sea witch" was going to be a lot harder than any of them thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So  
> I may have lied when I said I was going to shorten the chapters. 
> 
> I'M SORRY I JUST GOT CARRIED AWAY AND I COULDN'T STOP.


	4. The Induction Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight at Dalton.  
> The time has come for the new members of the Warblers to pass through the initiation and become official members of the group.  
> No one is supposed to be out of bed after 11:00.  
> But rule-breaking is just one of the many things the Warblers are known to do the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Update*  
> Just to let you know, I've gone back through the chapters and I've changed the set up of Dalton quite a bit. I got the idea of it being an old castle, and then well I had to go back and change the looks which I kind of wanted to do anyways. Nothing big, except layout changes. I'll try to get something up, like a rough floor plan or something on my Tumblr so if you want to see what it looks like you can, but until then if you have any questions on the new set up, I'll do my best to answer them.

Night fell over Dalton like a hush, and as the moon rose the boys retreated to their rooms, and then eventually they retreated to their beds.  
  
In the room at the end of the first hall on the left of the dorm house was two boys, 1/3 of the new Warbler members. The first boy was asleep, his blonde hair glimmering in the moonlight that shone through the curtains, making him look more like an angel than he already did. A small smile was on his lips, and every now and then he would let out unintelligible string of words that left his roommate chuckling from across the room. Even in his sleep Jeff wasn't silent, which the second boy supposed really said something about him.  
  
Just like it must have said something about Nick that he was up past midnight, watching his best friend sleep from across the room, a soft smile on his lips and a look on his face that was drenched in love and adoration. His head was propped up on his hand, only making him look absolutely more in love. Which, Nick supposed, was only fitting because that's exactly what he was. In love. Completely and totally in love with his best friend, who of course just happened to be straight and would never love him back.  
  
Nick closed his eyes tightly as he felt the tears prickle in his eyes, and he whispered softly to the silent room "I love you." Across the room Jeff stirred slightly, and Nick froze, his eyes flying open, afraid that he had been caught. But then Jeff groaned, turning over to his other side, muttering something about "Pie is in the zoo."  
  
Relief washed over the brown haired boy and he covered his face, unable to stop the bitter laughter that followed. 'Of course Jeff was just dreaming' He thought, shaking his head slowly. 'Just a dream'.  
  
He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Nick didn't hear the door open softly. Nor did he notice the identical pair of blonde heads that popped into the room with matching grins.  
  
....  
  
A few hallways over was another pair of boys, sitting across from each other on the same bed as they waited. They were also new Warblers, unable to sleep from the nerves created by waiting for their initiation keeping them wide awake. So they decided to talk, and spend the night getting to know the roommate they'd be stuck with at least the rest of this year, if not longer.  
  
They sat on the bed of the shorter boy, who had a round face and a kind smile, one that made it hard not to like him. His name was Trent, and he was in the middle of telling a story of the last spring break, when he had when skiing with his family and fell no less than twelve times. His hand moves wildly as he talked, enhancing the story and making the other boy laugh as he watched and listened.  
  
The second boy was bigger than the first, a little bit taller yes, but he also had broader shoulders and a sharper face, but he too was smiling as Trent talked. It was hard not to after all, when he was animatedly telling his story, easily poking fun at himself and his struggle, laughing along with the second boy, who was called Flint, as he spoke.  
  
"-My mom was trying to get to me to just give up already, but I was determined to make it down that mountain-" Trent's words died in his throat as something outside of the room crashed, the sound resonating through the silence in Dalton, followed by a long string of curse words from a first voice, and the quick shushing of a second.  
  
"They're not very sneaky, these Warblers." Flint said, seemingly amused as he climbed off the bed, walking towards the door despite Trent's protest, pulling it open before the smaller boy could rush over and stop him.  
  
Shining in the moonlight Flint could just make out the figures of two boys, trying to pick up the pieces of a shattered vase one of them had knocked over. And on the table where the vase used to sit, there was a gavel.  
  
....  
  
On the second floor of the Dorm House, most of the boys were already asleep. Or at least they had their lights off, knowing that should someone walk by and see them on they could get in trouble.  
  
But in the back corner of the last hallway on the right, bright light was flooding from the gap underneath the door. It's inhabitants never had a strong regard for the rules after all, and besides they knew that the night was the best time to prepare. When no one could interrupt them in their experiments or their scheming. When they could work together without fear of being forced to stop.  
  
They were best friends, the pair that lived there, both of them Sophomores and scientists, known fondly to the school as the Experimenters.  
  
The taller one had messy black hair that fell in his face, dark brown eyes that sparkled behind his glasses when something exploded, and a gap in his front teeth that made him look sweet even when he was in trouble. His name was Julius, and he was a new member of the Warblers.  
  
The shorter one had short auburn hair, cut to keep it out of his face, and dark blue eyes that sometimes seemed grey against the fire he so often caused. His name was Charlie, and he was already in the Warblers. In fact, it was he who had convinced Julius to join.  
  
Their room looked different than the other dorms. Their beds had both been pushed against the walls, their desks moved to the either side of the door, and under the window was a lab station. Things that probably shouldn't be allowed in the dorms, chemicals and burners and open flames, mildly explosive items covered the area, along with notebooks and papers, covered in writings and markings so tightly squeezed on there most people couldn't read. But for the two boys it was easy.  
  
Some of these notebooks had been spread out on the floor, and the two boys sat pouring over them when the knock came on the door. Charlie heard it first and grinned, rushing to open it as Julius sat back on his feet, watching slightly apprehensively.  
  
Standing at the door was a boy with perfectly styled brown hair and light blue eyes, who grinned the second he saw Charlie, who knew exactly what he was here for.  
  
Charlie stepped back into the room, grabbing Julius arm and hauling him up to his feet. "Come on Juls. Let's go on an adventure."  
  
....  
  
The highest point in Dalton was the two towers that sat on either side of the front of the school. They had the best view of the school, provided a 360 degree view of the grounds. It was the perfect place for keeping an eye on things. One of these tower's sat empty, without an access point in sight. The other had become the room of perhaps one of the highest profile kids Dalton had ever had. His name was Connor James.  
  
It was the only way he could really feel safe, by being able to see the entirety of the school. After everything he had gone through, with his brother, the gangs, the threats. The boy shuddered at just the thought of it. Yes he needed to be able to keep an eye on the world around him.  
  
Sure, they shouldn't be able to reach him here.  
  
But if there was anything Connor had learned in the past few months, it was that there are ways around even the toughest security. They shouldn't have been able to get him at his parents place either, and yet there was a bullet wound much too close to his heart for comfort, another one too close to his lung to be realistic, and countless fading bruises that proved they could get anywhere.  
  
The hope was that Ohio would be obscure enough that they wouldn't look there. That Dalton would be such a small blip on that map they wouldn't even see it.  
  
Connor didn't believe it for a second.  
  
They would find him. They always did.  
  
Connor didn't have a roommate. Much like Blaine, he had nightmares too violent to share with someone else. Not to mention he slept with a crossbow beside his bed, hand dangling just above it so that if needed he could grab and use it to defend himself. Around the room was various other weapons and traps, things he used to keep himself safe.  
  
And on the second empty desk stood a telescope, pointed out towards Dalton's grounds. It let him see the parts of the school he couldn't, all the way down to the front gate. It helped give him just a little bit of peace of mind. Just a little though.  
  
Connor was looking through the telescope when he heard it. Outside his room was the dull thudding of someone, something, approaching his room. He turned, grabbing the baseball bat he kept beside him as it stopped, rushing to crouch behind the bed as somebody tried to open his door.  
  
Connor could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he clung tighter to the bat as the door opened slowly, revealing two boys he couldn't see from his hiding spot.  
  
One was on crutches, the thudding noise Connor heard was no doubt him, so he stayed by the door as a shorter boy with brown hair that hung in his face carefully entered the room.  
  
Connor's eyes squeezed shut in fear, and his grip on the baseball tightened as the footsteps came closer, stopping mere inches from him at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Connor? Are you in here?" The voice called, and Connor pushed himself further against the bed, willing the voice to go away.  
  
Instead, it only came closer. "Connor James?"  
  
He had been spotted. Very slowly Connor opened his eyes, biting his lip to keep from whimpering in fear at just how close the boy was to him, crouching just inches away. Trying very hard to be brave, and with a tight grip on his bat, Connor asked with a very distinct British accent "Who are you?"  
  
....  
  
It was supposed to be a complete surprise, the initiation. That's why they used the blindfolds, to keep the new Warblers from learning where they were going.  
  
Of course, blindfolding someone before you practically kidnap them can lead to some trouble.

..

It still didn't stop them though.  
  
....  
  
Nick screamed as hands descended upon him, pulling him out of bed. Across the room someone was pulling a half awake Jeff up too, and the last thing Nick saw was the terrified eyes of his best friend before there was a blindfold on him.  
  
He screamed again.  
  
....  
  
Flint found the whole situation amusing, especially when the two boys outside their room tried to scramble for an excuse but there really was one. So he gladly let them tie the blindfold around his eyes, his only request being that they try not to run him into anything.  
  
Trent was a lot more hesitant, after all he hardly knew these boys, and yes he had probably seen too many movies that his mind automatically jumped to the worse scenario.  
  
It took the Asian boy swearing on his gavel to finally get him to agree, but he was still nervous as he let them lead him out.  
  
Nick's scream from down the hall really didn't help to calm his nerves any.  
  
....  
  
If it had been anybody else, Julius probably wouldn't have gone along with it so easily. But he trusted Charlie with his life, after all they had been best friends since they were babies, and hadn't Charlie survived his initiation just fine?  
  
Besides, there was a promise of adventure, and Julius could never turn down an adventure.  
  
Still, he thought the blindfold was quite unnecessary considering he couldn't see anything without his glasses anyways.  
  
....  
  
There was no getting a blindfold on Connor. His grip on his baseball bat tightened when the boy in front of him, Evan he said his name was, even mentioned it, and he threatened in a low tone "You even try and I will not hesitate to use this thing."  
  
Not even saying it was tradition could get Connor to agree, and eventually the boy on the crutches, David, proposed a solution. They'd wait until they were just around the corner before they put on the blindfold, and would take it off as soon as they arrived.  
  
Hesitantly Connor agreed. But only on the condition that he was allowed to carry his bat.  
  
Evan still doesn't know why he agreed.  
  
....  
  
The Warbler boys had a tradition of breaking onto the stage the night before a big performance. It let them get a feel of the place, and help some of the shakier Warblers find a home on the stage. They would spend about 10 minutes exploring, everyone making themselves comfortable with the layout before they'd come back to the center.  
  
And there they would sit, uniform and all, in a circle on the floor. Telling stories and hyping each other up for what was to come the next day.  
  
Initiation was like that. Only instead of sitting on the stage, the Warblers would fill the audience.  
  
And instead of talking, the inductees were left on the stage to perform.  
  
....  
  
Nick stopped screaming once Jeff was beside him, hand wrapped around his wrist in a calm reassurance that they were okay. It was, Jeff explained to Nick, part of their initiation.  
  
Nick was still wary, especially when Jeff was pulled away from him, both of them led separately down the hallway. But perhaps the blindfold was a good thing because at least neither boy could see the amused grins the twins shared as they led them along.  
  
....  
  
Evan really should have known Connor was going to be a problem. The boy was carrying a baseball for crying out loud, he really should have known better than to try and touch him once he placed the blindfold over his eyes.  
  
And David laughed as the bat came into firm connection with Evan's stomach, knocking the air out of the older boy and sending him stumbling backwards a little ways. Connor backpedaled in the opposite direction, still holding his bat in one hand as he used his other to frantically try to pull off his blindfold.  
  
"Oh dude you totally had that coming." David choked out between his laughter, and even Evan had a weak smile on his face as Connor, blindfold now hanging around his neck, stared in horror at what he had just did.  
  
"Oh my god I am so sorry. I-I just, I acted before I thought and I'm so sorry, are you okay? I didn't actually swing that hard, I didn't break anything did I?" Connor rambled on, his grip loosening on his bat but he never let go of it, keeping his distance as Evan straightened up.  
  
"You just winded me, don't worry. I've dealt with worse blows from the twins." Evan assured the younger boy, a genuine smile on his face now as looked between the boy and his baseball bat before asking "Just curious, how hard can you swing that thing?"  
  
"I can hit baseball's hard enough to break them in half." Connor replied, a nervous smile on his face. "And I've cracked someone's skull with it before."  
  
David whistled, looking at Connor impressed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."  
  
"It was self defense! He was coming at me with a knife, so I hit him with my baseball bat, and it broke his skull and killed him." Connor defended himself, looking even more sheepish the more he spoke, knowing he had said too much but the words came out before he could stop himself.  
  
"Wait, you've killed a man with that?" Evan asked, nodding towards the baseball Connor held, looking both shocked and astonished.  
  
"Well, not this exact bat, we burned the other one, but yes?" Connor replied meekly, blushing slightly as Evan's eyes grew wider. "It's a long story and I'm really not supposed to talk about it anymore, can we just move on, please?"  
  
"Just one question," David said, still looking impressed as he stared at Connor. "Is that the reason you're here?"  
  
"Partially?" Connor glanced around nervously, like he was just waiting for someone to jump out at him for revealing these secrets, and lowered his voice as he continued. "I almost got killed in retaliation for that. Obviously they failed, but I was sent here to keep me safe in case they tried again."  
  
The wound on Connor's shoulder was fresh, and he could feel the thick bandages when he reached up to touch it, pain shooting through his arm. He closed his eyes tightly, swaying slightly as he waited for it to pass, almost begging when he asked the boys "Please don't tell anybody about this. There's enough danger as it is. Enough collateral damage. Don't add to it."  
  
He swallowed harshly, not daring to open his eyes just yet. _Collateral damage._ That's what they called him when they thought he was dead. It was the last thing his brother ever heard before he was killed. _Collateral damage_ . In the end Luke had been just as much that as Connor was. If their parents hadn't started this... "Just please. I'll explain what I can. Just don't tell anyone else."  
  
"Don't worry Connor." David said, smiling slightly, glancing over at Evan who looked slightly more apprehensive but generally on the same page as his injured friend. "This'll stay between the three of us."  
  
"Yeah," Evan agreed, forcing his own smile onto his face and nodding. "Your secret's safe with us."  
  
Connor let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, completely relieved. "Thank you. So much."  
  
Evan's smile came easier when he saw Connor relaxing in a way he hadn't since they first found him. "Just one request,"  
  
Evan's voice was light as he approached Connor, tugging the blindfold back into place, saying as he did "Try not to hit me with that bat again, will you?"  
  
....  
  
They met just outside of the stage entrance, and once all of the new inductees had arrived they would be led on to the stage together. Where they would be left alone, still blindfolded, until someone shouted for them to take them off. Only then would the initiation begin.  
  
....  
  
Connor, Evan, and David were the last ones to arrive. Which wasn't surprising seeing as they had the furthest to trace and David was on crutches, but the other boys were still getting antsy by the time they arrived. Especially the ones that couldn't see. Nick had somehow found his way to Jeff's side, and was now clinging to his friend's arm protectively as they waited, much to the twins amusement.  
  
"About time you three showed up." Cooper said as soon as the trio rounded the corner and came into view. "What took you so long?"  
  
"We had a little trouble." Evan replied, shaking his head before Cooper could even ask what he meant, sighing slightly as David started laughing quietly. "You really don't want to know."  
  
"Do I want to know why the kid you fetched is holding a baseball bat?" Cooper asked in return, looking between David and Evan before his eyes settled on the boy in question. He was tall for his age, and well built too, with light brown curls that helped soften his face some, made him look his age. Even though his eyes were covered he lifted his head, staring in Cooper's direction as if he could actually see the boy and answered evenly  
  
"My name is Connor James. The bat is for protection." Cooper, along with several of the new inductees were startled by the boy's British accent, but for those who had watched auditions the night before, they suddenly remembered Connor, the boy who had sung with such emotion and sorrow Wes was sure a few of the boys had actually been brought to tears. He had been voted in unanimously. "Perhaps unnecessary, but you can never be too careful around strangers."  
  
That one sentence told the boys all they needed to know. No one questioned what Connor meant because his tone made it very clear that whatever had happened, he had been hurt by a stranger before. And he wasn't willing to take that chance again.  
  
"Then let's get inside so we can all become less of strangers, huh?" Cooper said, smiling softly at Connor despite the fact that the boy couldn't see him. Something about him reminded Cooper of his little brother, made him want to protect him. Maybe it was because Connor sounded as hurt as Blaine had right after Sadie Hawkins, maybe it was the curls, or the way he drew away from strangers.  
  
Or maybe it was because Connor had just lost his big brother, and somehow, some part of Cooper knew he needed someone else to look after him.  
  
...  
  
"You want us to do what?" Trent squawked in surprise, staring at the gathering of boys in the audience, all of whom were watching the six on stage expectantly. After they had removed the blindfolds, and adjusted to the overly bright stage lights, Wes had delivered the terms of the initiation. Each boy, or group of boys if he so wished, was supposed to perform an impromptu number on the stage they might or might not be allowed on at the current moment. If they did well, they would move on to the second part of initiation: their first public performance, in the dining hall tomorrow at lunch with the Warblers.  
  
"As a Warbler you will be involved in many different types of performances," Wes explained, looking over the boys with his hands folded, as if he was sizing each and everyone of them up as he spoke. "Most of these will be planned and practiced several times over. But the Warblers are famous for giving impromptu performances to the student body. So we want to see how well you think on your feet."  
  
"You can sing by yourself or do a number with someone else, it doesn't matter." Josh added, smirking slightly and nudging his brother when Nick and Jeff shared an instant smile at that.  
  
"And any of us are willing to provide instrumental backup if you need it." Evan said, noticing how Connor nodded thoughtfully at these words. Out of all the boys he seemed the least nervous, like he already knew what he was going to sing. Clearly he was working through something in song.  
  
"You have ten minutes to prepare, and then we'll get started. If you need back up come see one of the boys and we'll work something out." The sound of Wes's gavel sent the boy's scattering to separate parts of the stage. Nick and Jeff ran off towards the back corner, rapidly discussing song choices as they flicked through Jeff's phone for ideas. Flint grabbed Trent and hauled him off in the other direction, whispering an idea to the shorter boy that got him grinning excitedly. Julius walked to the piano and sat down, his fingers ghosting over the keys in and invisible melody as he practiced what he wanted to play. And Connor, knowing exactly what he wanted to sing but needing a little help, jumped off the stage lightly and approached Evan, his baseball bat still held lightly in his hands.  
  
"Excuse me," Connor said quietly, catching Evan's attention along with that of several other boys, and he blushed slightly as he continued with his request "Do any of you happen to play guitar? I don't and I need a little help for my song."  
  
"I'll do it." Cooper volunteered after a moment, standing up and grinning slightly at the boy. "Just tell me what you need to play and I'll do it."  
  
Connor nodded, a small smile on his face, and beckoned Cooper to follow him, not wanting the others to hear when he whispered his song choice to the older boy.  
  
Luckily it was a song Cooper knew pretty well, and so he was sure he could play on the guitar with no trouble. It was a country song though, and Connor was distinctly British, and so it did make him wonder "Any reason you chose that song?"  
  
Connor shrugged, looking down at his feet so he wouldn't have to look at Cooper when he answered, and so that the older boy wouldn't see the tears already forming when he whispered "It's for my brother. Reminds me of him."  
  
Connor paused, sniffling slightly, rubbing his eyes free of any tears before he looked up at Cooper, trying to keep a steady face. "They say music is the best way to cope with a loss. At Dalton they say the Warblers are the people who know that best. That's why I joined, and that's why I'm singing this song."  
  
"Then we're just going to have to make sure we are extra good then." Cooper smiled softly, biting back the hundred things he wanted to say for the one he knew would comfort the boy the most. Connor didn't want pity, that much was clear by the way he held himself and the way he spoke. He was trying to be strong. Cooper didn't dare take that from him.  
  
"Thank you." Connor said quietly, smiling slightly, just thankful Cooper wasn't pushing him anymore for an explanation. Luke's death was still fresh in his mind, the funeral had only been days ago, just before he came here. If Cooper had pressed him he surely would have broken down in tears. As it was he was going to have a hard enough time getting through the song without crying. "For playing the song and for not, not demanding answers."  
  
"Like you said, the Warblers know best that music can help heal you when you've lost something." Cooper replied, strumming his guitar lightly to check the tune on it, his eyes still on Connor. "We never push anyone that's not ready to tell us why they're breaking down in song. Only offer support to let them know we're there when they're ready to tell us."  
  
"Besides, there are some things we have to work through on our own before we can talk to others about them. My little brother taught me that." Connor blinked in surprise, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. Cooper laughed softly, sadly, before he explained. "His name's Blaine, he's in your grade actually. A few months ago he went through a lot of shit, I'm sure you'll hear the story if you stick around the Warblers long enough, they all know what happened, but the short version is that he was almost killed in a gay bashing. Afterwards, he sort of shut off. To a degree he still is right now. He wouldn't talk to anyone about it, not even me or his therapist about it for months, he only really started to a few days ago. When he was ready."  
  
"There were so many days that I wanted to push him to talk to me, to tell me what had happened and how he felt so that I could help him. Stop the pain, you know? But I knew if I did I'd only be hurting him more, betraying his trust for me. So I waited. And when he was ready, he talked to me." Cooper shrugged, still lightly strumming his guitar, absently as he watched Connor and the slew of emotions that flashed over his face at once. "The one thing he told me when we talked that I remember the most is, he told me how thankful he was that I never once pushed him before he was ready, and that I let him figure things out on his own."  
  
Connor wasn't the type to give out spontaneous hugs. Generally he wasn't the type to hug people at all, unless they had been his big brother, or his parents.  
  
Maybe it was because Cooper was a big brother too, maybe it was because he was emotional or just missed having someone hold him, Connor's not sure of the reasoning. All he knows is that somehow his bat had found its way to the floor and suddenly he was hugging Cooper, and though the older boy laughed slightly in shock, he hugged him back easily.  
  
"You're a good big brother Cooper. Blaine's lucky to have you." Connor pulled back, blushing slightly as he retreated back to his old spot, carefully picking up his bat again with his good arm, pointedly avoiding looking at Cooper or anyone else as he spoke, focusing on the patterns in the wood of his bat. "I think Luke would like you a lot. He told me once the best thing a person could do for someone in pain was to just be there for them."  
  
"Is Luke your brother?" Cooper asked, and Connor nodded absently, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face when Coop added "He sounds like a very wise man. I bet you made him very proud."  
  
"Actually I think I annoyed him more than anything. We weren't super close, we fought a lot, and there was about 7 years difference between us? So he didn't exactly want me around a lot of the time, even though I always wanted to be around him. I ended up getting in the way usually, and causing a lot of trouble as a result." Connor laughed hollowly, shaking his head as he looked down at his hands guiltily as he continued "He would always take the fall too. Every time I messed something up, caused trouble, completely ruined something, he'd take the fall for me. I never could figure out why, there were times when he hated me, sometimes he wasn't even involved at all, but he would still take the fall. I could never figure out why."  
  
"It's what big brothers do." Cooper replied instantly, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "It's kind of part of our job, you know, to protect our younger brothers. Even if we don't always get along."  
  
Connor looked up at Cooper contemplatively when he said that, considering the older boy for a moment before nodding slowly. "I guess that makes sense."  
  
"And I'm positive you make him proud Connor." Cooper added, looking directly in the younger boy's eyes as he spoke. "And we're going to make him even more proud when you perform. Sing as if he's sitting there in the front row watching because I promise that somewhere he is."  
  
....  
  
Nick and Jeff performed their song first, cracking up the Warblers with a very earnest performance of 'I Don't Dance' that had Jeff dancing quite elaborately around Nick, who knew about three moves and kept doing them, despite Jeff's urging for him to try something new.  
  
They were met with a standing ovation from the ground, cheers and whistles as well as identical smirks from the twins, though those were aimed more at Nick than at Jeff, for a reason the brunette boy soon found out. After forcibly dragging an overexcited Jeff off the stage, the pair fell into seats in front of the twins. And as Jeff distracted himself talking to the others, Josh and James seized the opportunity to tease Nick a little.  
  
"Great performance," Josh said, his head popping up in the left side of Nick as James appeared on the right.  
  
"You two really perform well together."  
  
"Interesting choice of song though,"  
  
"I mean you know what it's about right?"  
  
"Dancing and Baseball?" Nick replied weakly, blushing slightly because he knew that was decidedly not what the song was about, at least not to many people.  
  
"No silly. It's about Chad being gay." The twins chorused together, keeping their voices quiet as Julius sat down at the piano again, getting ready to start his song.  
  
"You two really should have sang the opposite parts."  
  
"It would have made a lot more sense considering you like him."  
  
"And maybe it would have made Jeff realize something"  
  
"Like it did with Chad."  
  
"I am not interested in Jeff romantically." Nick said firmly, his mouth forming a thin line as he glared straight ahead, refusing to look at the twins, instead focusing on Julius as he began to play the beginning notes of his song. "Besides, even if I was, he's straight."  
  
There was something resigned in Nick's tone when he said, something the twins couldn't quite identify but sounded vaguely like heartbreak, and that was enough to keep them from pressing the topic any further. Besides Julius was singing now and it would have been rude to keep talking as he performed. He certainly would have had their heads for it.  
  
For now they would leave it alone. But just for now.  
  
....  
  
The fact was Julius knew from the beginning that his audition was more of a formality than anything. Before he even walked into the room he knew he was getting in, because really he was basically already a member. He had sung countless times with Charlie as either back up or as a duet, but more importantly to the Warblers he was known as their Piano Man, a title granted to him by the twins and one that in the end inspired his song choice for his audition, which left the entire room laughing before he even started singing, laughter that only got worse when Charlie fell onto the bench beside Juls and sang along.  
  
So it really was more of a formality than anything, but that didn't mean that he got out of performing a song to be inducted.  
  
Naturally he chose to sit at the piano, causing a few of the boys to chuckle good naturally, for they had yet to see the boy perform without hiding behind the hunk of metal.  
  
Julius stared at the keys as he began playing the first notes, though he really had no need to, and he closed his eyes as he began to sing.  
  
_The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting._ _  
_ _Could it be that we have been this way before?_

_I know you don't think that I am trying_

_I know you're wearing thin down to the core_  
  
From his front row seat in the audience Charlie grinned as he listened to his best friend sing, his eyes shut against the nerves he knew filled him. Not that anyone else could tell, but Julius was Charlie's best friend, and as such he knew the boy got incredibly anxious before every performance. Which is why he always made sure to sit in the front row, and smile extra wide when their eyes inevitably met.  
  
_But hold your breath_

 _Because tonight will be the night_ _  
_ _That I will fall for you over again_ _  
_ _Don't make me change my mind_  
  
Julius found Charlie instantly when he finally opened his eyes again, and he smiled slightly at the boy as he sang, their eyes never leaving each other as he did.  
_  
_ _Or I won't live to see another day_

_I swear it's true_

_Because a boy like you is impossible to find_ _  
_ _You're impossible to find_  
  
In the audience one of the boys scoffed quietly at the subtle change in the song. Several of them rolled their eyes as Julius continued to sing to Charlie, and off on the side of the stage, Trent frowned slightly, whispering to Flint "Are they dating?"  
  
Flint shrugged, studying the pair carefully. "They're certainly giving each other enough lovey looks to be."  
  
_This is not what I intended_ _  
_ _I always swore to you I'd never fall apart_  
  
Cooper snorted behind them, rolling his eyes as three curious faces turned towards him. "All of our lives would be easier if they would date each other."  
  
_You always thought that I was stronger_ _  
_ _I may have failed_ _  
_ _But I have loved you from the start_  
  
"They're basically a couple. You'll notice the more you know them, they act like they're actually dating." Cooper sighed, sounding slightly exasperated as he spoke about the pair. "But they both insist they don't like each other. We all insist they're simply in denial. Some of the boys think they're flat out lying to us about it, but Juls is a pretty shit liar so I don't think that's the case."  
  
_So breathe in so deep_ _  
_ _Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep_ _  
_ _And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap_ _  
_ _And remember me tonight when you're asleep_  
  
"They really don't see it?" Connor asked, his eyes slightly widening as Julius continued to practically serenade Charlie, whose smile had softened in one of pure affection as he stared at his best friend. "How?"  
  
"If I knew I'd tell you. We've spent almost a year trying to convince them and still nothing." Cooper sighed again, shaking his head slowly. "It's basically hopeless. We're hoping they'll figure it out before they get too old, but knowing them they won't realize it even when they're 80 years old and living together because they 'don't have time' for a relationship because they're always together."  
  
_Because tonight will be the night_ _  
_ _That I will fall for you over again_ _  
_ _Don't make me change my mind_ _  
_ _  
_ _Or I won't live to see another day_ _  
_ _I swear it's true_ _  
_ _Because a boy like you is impossible to find_ _  
_ _  
_ _Tonight will be the night_ _  
_ _That I will fall for you over again_ _  
_ _Don't make me change my mind_ _  
_ _  
_ _Or I won't live to see another day_ _  
_ _I swear it's true_ _  
_ _Because a girl like you is impossible to find_ _  
_ _You're impossible to find_  
  
Charlie jumped up as soon as Julius finished his song, clapping and cheering embarrassingly loud over the applause from the others. Julius, blushing slightly and glaring daggers at his best friend, stood up from the piano and gave the audience a well practiced bow before walking off past the others, pausing when Cooper clapped him on the shoulder as he passed, saying "Real platonic song you sang there Juls."  
  
"It's just a song Coop." Julius rolled his eyes, walking down the stairs and into the arms of an overexcited Charlie, who squeezed him tightly despite his protest.  
  
"You did great Juls!" Charlie grinned, pulling back practically bouncing in excitement, grabbing Julius's hand to pull him back towards the audience. "That was your best performance yet."  
  
"You say that every time Charlie." Julius said, rolling his eyes, but he was smiling as he linked their fingers together, the way they always did when they walked. "It's why I never go to you for genuine feedback."  
  
"You wound me sir." Charlie gasped over dramatically, clutching at his heart with his free hand as if he truly had been offended by his friend's words, but despite his best attempts he was still smiling slightly, especially when Julius shoved him playfully.  
  
"You know it's true. It's how you keep getting me to perform for people." Julius sighed, as if performing truly was a burden and Charlie beamed back at him brightly, nodding in agreement at the statement as they sat down.  
  
"You live for affirmation Juls, especially in your music." Charlie replied, smirking slightly as his best friend stiffened at the accusation. "That's why you're so easy to convince."  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Julius replied, turning so that he was looking towards the stage to hide the hint of a smile that threatened to emerge on his face. Charlie laughed quietly, squeezing the younger boy's hand and slowly shaking his head.  
  
"Whatever you say Tinkerbell." Charlie laughed harder when Julius growled at the nickname the twins once gave him, turning back towards him with a very harsh glare.  
  
"Charles," Julius warned, completely unamused and using a tone that told Charlie he may have pushed just a little too far. "If you ever use that name again, I will destroy you. And you know I have the capability too because we both know what that _thing_ can do, and I'm the one that has it."  
  
"Did you bring it with you?" Charlie hissed, hitting his best friend with his free hand. "Juls, please tell me you did not bring the _thing_ with you. It's not stable! It almost destroyed your house. It flattened part of the forest!"  
  
"I'm not an idiot Charlie. It's still in its containment unit in the basement." Julius scoffed, slightly offended the auburn haired boy would even think he would try to move it. It did almost destroy his house after all. He wouldn't risk Dalton like that. "The point is, I have it. And I sort of know how to use it. Meaning I can use it against you."  
  
"Yeah me and the whole neighborhood." Charlie muttered, frowning slightly as he remembered just how big the range of effects the thing had. "It's not exactly stable after all, and the range isn't very easy to control."  
  
"It did destroy a whole island once." Julius agreed, also frowning. True it had been a pretty small island, and it was at least an deserted one, which was good news because they literally wiped out nearly the entire island. "But then that other time it didn't even affect a single tree."  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Mason hissed quietly, unable to hold back from asking any longer. "I swear to god I thought you agreed not to destroy the world with your science."  
  
"We can't exactly talk about it." Julius replied carefully, glancing at Charlie, who nodded in agreement. "It's not exactly legal. It's just a _thing_ , you know?"  
  
"It's pretty harmless as long as we keep it locked up." Charlie added helpfully, smiling just slightly when Mason gave them a very doubtful look. "I mean as harmless as a deadly _thing_ can be anyways."  
  
"It's not going to destroy the world." Julius reassured Mason, sharing a side glance with Charlie before adding empathically " _Probably_ . It probably won't destroy the world."  
  
Mason groaned loudly at that, attracting more than a few curious glances that he waved off, shaking his head slowly. "You two are going to be the death of me. And of the world."  
  
....  
  
Trent and Flint's performance was more of an experience than anything else, one that left the boys clapping in both awe and delight at how the two of them somehow managed to beautifully and almost flawlessly pull off the entire prologue of Into The Woods, including dancing and changing pitch to represent the different characters.  
  
It was 15 minutes of pure joy, the longest induction in the history of the Warblers and one that would be talked about for years, especially when trying to intimidate the new kids.  
  
By the time Trent and Flint finished both of them were significantly out of breath, but were smiling widely as the entire hoard of boys stood up and offered their praise, clapping and cheering, when the two leaped off the front of the stage together the Warblers crowded them, clapping them on the back and offering congratulations for what had to be the most amazing performance to ever grace the Dalton stage.  
  
It took Wes banging his gavel to get the boys to settle down, but even he couldn't hide how impressed he was of the two new recruits, as well as the ones that had come before them.  
  
"You've made some amazing calls on who to keep it seems." David said beside him, drawing his best friends attention, giving Wes a slight grin when the boy looked at him. "Looks like we were right in making you leader after all."  
  
"Well let's see if we all gel before you start with that. Just because they can all perform well doesn't mean they'll fit in. Though," Wes paused, glancing over at the five  new boys in the audience, all who seemed to be getting along with the others quite well. "I don't think we're going to have too much of a problem."  
  
"I hope not because these boys are amazing. I mean Flint and Trent both are amazingly talented with switching parts, and Jeff is the dancer we needed to fill in my space." David replied, looking over the boys too as he listed off why they couldn't lose any of them. "I mean we all love Juls obviously, and Nick has incredible potential of possibly being a lead singer. Plus I really want to set him and Jeff up."  
  
Wes hummed in agreement, laughing slightly at David's last statement, having been thinking the same thing himself. "It's pretty obvious Nick has a hardcore crush on him. I haven't got a read on Jeff yet, but Nick looks pretty hopelessly in love."  
  
"Do you think they'll be easier or harder to get together than Juls and Charlie?" David asked, causing Wes to groan softly as his eyes flickered to the boys in question. Julius had his head resting on Charlie's head, which was resting on the younger boy's shoulder, their hands still intertwined between them.  
  
"Anyone has got to be easier to convince than those two. I mean seriously," Wes rolled his eyes as Charlie turned his face, burying it into Julius's neck with large yawn. Not missing a beat Juls pulled their hands apart and wrapped his arm around him, pulling the auburn haired boy closer. "Are we sure they're not dating and just lying to us?"  
  
"We're positive. Charlie's had multiple one night stands remember?" David pointed out, thinking of the nights when they had gone out partying only to lose Charlie almost immediately to some boy, though he always reappeared before they left, drunk but with the glow of someone that just got laid. "He would never cheat on Juls, those two mean the world to each other."  
  
"I just wish they could see just how much they loved each other." Wes sighed, shaking his head slowly. David nodded, sighing softly as they both turned away from the pair and back towards the stage, when Connor stood waiting looking a little nervous but also distant, not really looking at the crowd as he waited to start. Wes sighed, adding quietly to himself  "At least they have each other. Some of these boys have no one at all."  
  
....  
  
Connor stood alone in the middle of the stage, his hands folded behind his back and his gaze level as he stared into the audience, not at all intimidated by the eyes that stared back. Cooper sat off to the side of the stage, Connor's baseball bat resting at his feet, waiting until he gave the signal before he started to strum his guitar lightly. Closing his eyes, Connor began to sing.  
  
_Sunny days seem to hurt the most_ _  
_ _I wear the pain like a heavy coat_ _  
_ _I feel you everywhere I go_ _  
_ _I see your smile, I see your face_ _  
_ _I hear you laughing in the rain_ _  
_ _I still can't believe you're gone_  
  
Pictures of Luke flashed across Connor's eyes as he sang, memories of the few good times they had together. Luke teaching him baseball when he was six, jumping together in puddles when he eight on the way home from school, ice skating when he was 12, their last Christmas together when he was 13. Luke's smile, his laughter and his warm words filled Connor's mind, wrapping around him as if his brother was still there.  
_  
_ _It ain't fair you died too young_ _  
_ _Like a story that had just begun_ _  
_ _But death tore the pages all away_ _  
_ _God knows how I miss you_ _  
_ _All the hell that I've been through_ _  
_ _Just knowing no one could take your place_ _  
_ _Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today_  
  
Not even halfway through the song Connor could feel the tears in his eyes, and he did his best to wipe them away before they fell. His voice was already giving away all the emotion, all the pain and grief that he was feeling. He couldn't start crying in front of these boys as well. It would be too much.  
_  
_ _Would you see the world, would you chase your dreams_ _  
_ _Settle down with a family_ _  
_ _I wonder what would you name your babies_ _  
_ _Some days the sky's so blue_ _  
_ _I feel like I can talk to you_ _  
_ _I know it might sound crazy_  
  
When Connor opened his eyes, he focused his gaze on the back row. No one was sitting there, at least no one that you could see, but after a moment of looking he swore he saw a flash of black hair, and his the corners of his lips turned up slightly in a smile at the thought that Luke maybe was listening. That, wherever it was that he was, he was here now as Connor sang, cheering on his baby brother and the talent he didn't know he had.  
  
_It ain't fair you died too young_ _  
_ _Like a story that had just begun_ _  
_ _But death tore the pages all away_ _  
_ _God knows how I miss you_ _  
_ _All the hell that I've been through_ _  
_ _Just knowing no one could take your place_ _  
_ _Sometimes I wonder who you'd be today_ _  
_ _Today, today, today_ _  
_ _Today, today, today_  
  
A somber silence had fallen over the Warblers as the listened to Connor, who despite his best efforts had started to cry, tears streaming silently down his face. His voice never wavered though, something many of the boys admired because they knew how hard it was to stay steady when you were losing it.  
  
A few of the boys in the audience had tears in their own eyes, though most wouldn't admit it. Some were moved by Connor's voice, others were simply crying for the ones they lost. Charlie, his face hidden still in Julius's neck, was sobbing softly for his parents, the song reminding him of them and all he lost when they died.  
  
_Sunny days seem to hurt the most_ _  
_ _I wear the pain like a heavy coat_ _  
_ _The only thing that gives me hope_ _  
_ _Is I know I'll see you again someday_ _  
_ _Someday, Someday_  
  
It was silent after Cooper played the final notes to the song, and it wasn't until he set it down gently beside him and started to clap that the others joined in. It was a softer clapping then the other boys had received, their was a subdued air surrounding the boys as they watched Connor, who wasn't looking at them but instead was looking at the floor, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. He stayed there until came up behind him, cautiously wrapping an arm around the younger boy's shoulders and leading him off the stage, whispering something the others couldn't hear.  
  
The others stared at the empty stage left behind, until Wes cleared his throat and quickly hit his gavel three times. "Congratulations to our new inductees. You've all passed the first test. Your first meeting will be tomorrow after school. Now everyone, get back to bed."  
  
"And don't get caught." Evan added, raising his voice over the noise of the boys as they all started to stand up, heading off in their separate directions to sneak back into their rooms, many following the same paths they had arrived on. The newbies were a bit more apprehensive of leaving, and so Evan left to escort Flint and Trent as Mason took Jeff and Nick back to their room. The twins trailed after Julius as he attempted to carry Charlie back to their room, ready to cause a distraction should anyone appear so that the younger too could get away.  
  
Eventually only Wes and David were left, sitting together in the middle of the now empty and silent auditorium, letting the events of the day sink in. So much had happened in the past twenty four hours, so much more in the past forty eight. The school year had already started and yet Dalton still felt more alive than ever. The Warblers had certainly already gotten more interesting, if what they had seen tonight was any sign.  
  
"Some show tonight huh?" David said from beside him, breaking the Asian boy from his thoughts by saying just what he had been thinking. "I'd say the Warblers are in for a pretty interesting year this year."  
  
"I don't know if I can handle this." Wes groaned, burying his face in his hands so that his next words came out muffled "There's so much drama already. Between Blaine and the twins and Juls and Charlie and then Jeff and Nick, and clearly something is going on with Connor, and god don't get me started on Cooper-" Wes groaned again, now shaking his head, his hands swaying along with the movement. "How are we going to make it to Nationals if the boys all are having issues?"  
  
"Wes, the Warblers are going to be fine." David assured his best friend, hardly able to bite back a laugh as he clapped him in the shoulder, shaking him slightly. "We all want to get to Nationals, nothing is going to stand in the way of that. We've dealt with drama before, remember the winter festival last year?"  
  
Wes winced sharply at the memory, grimacing slightly. It had been a complete and total disaster, and not just for the Warblers. Several of the parents had caused quite the scene too that night. It was something they really weren't allowed to talk about anymore.

  
"If we can get through that we can get through anything. Warblers are resilient after all." David smiled a bit as he said the last part, like it was something he was proud of and perhaps it was. Everyone knew the Warblers were the best students in the school. "Besides, between the two of us and Evan, I think we can keep any of these boys in line."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may have taken two weeks to write but in my defence there was a hurricane and I had like no power for a week. 
> 
> So this is the chapter where we met a lot of new faces, a lot of new characters who will continue to pop up throughout the story, some more than others, but they'll all have their time at some point or another.  
> (Side Note: One of the reasons this chapter took so long is because I was working out backgrounds for all of the characters, some of which are pretty extensive).
> 
> Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed as always, there was no Blaine this chapter but we'll return to him next time and see how he's faring at Dalton and with the craziness that his brother and friends tend to get up to. 
> 
> Until then.


	5. Blaine Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins hatch up a plan to take care of Blaine and do a little bonding with the younger Anderson.  
> Later, the second half of the initiation ceremony causes more of a fuss than the new inductees thought it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a part of the chapter, towards the end, where it's set up in chat form. So, just to let you know the screen names in the Marauders Chat are:  
> WarblerLead- Cooper Anderson  
> GredAndForge- Josh and James Evans  
> PianoMan- Julius Dauer  
> ExplodingCharlie- Charlie Austin  
> Gavel&Me- Wes Montgomery  
> MinuteMan- David Thompson  
> BestArtistYoullMeet- Mason Taylor  
> KeepYouInLine- Evan Taylor 
> 
> And yes I am aware these names are slightly lame but I am not good at coming up with these things. If you have better suggestions though, please let me know.

The first thing Blaine was aware of when he woke the next morning, jolted awake by his nightmares as normal, was the distinct sound of someone snoring very close by. His eyes flew open, panic coursing through him as he searched desperately for the noise.   
  
_Cooper_. Just beside Blaine's bed was the messy brown hair of his brother, the rest of him hidden underneath blankets from the fort that had now collapsed.   
  
Blaine blinked slightly in shock, sitting up slowly and looking around the room, his eyes widening at the sight. In the middle of the room were the twins cuddled together under a shared blanket, a few feet away from Mason who rested on a bed of pillows. Close to the door was a lump of covers covering a body Blaine could only assume to be Evan, as Wes and David both were lying at opposite ends of the spare bed in the room. Wes was holding his gavel even in his sleep.  
  
They were all here. All the boys from yesterday, all of them we here in his room, dead asleep as if it was the most normal thing in the world. His music was still playing softly in the background, not bothering any of them at all despite the fact that yesterday David and Wes had actively complained about his music taste just before they all left last night.   
  
That's what confused Blaine the most. He distinctly remembers the boys leaving last night in staggering amounts, and yet he has no recollection of any of them reentering. Nor could he think of any reason why they would come back when they all had their own rooms to sleep in.   
  
It was perplexing to say the least, and not a problem Blaine wanted to think about at 5am, when the sun hadn't yet rose and the lingering fear left behind from his nightmares still crept through his mind. It was far to early for him to be wondering about the peculiar ways of the boys he had only met yesterday, especially when Cooper had already warned him that they were all generally a little strange. Who knows, maybe it was just one of their quirks.   
  
Blaine shook his head. It really was too early to worry about this. Maybe it would make sense after a shower, things tended to be after all. Careful not to wake the others, Blaine slid out of bed, tiptoeing to his closet and gently opening it just enough so he could get his uniform out before tiptoeing over the bathroom, where he closed the door as silently as possible, pausing to listen for any sounds of life on the other side. When he heard nothing he padded over to the shower, which he turned to on to the hottest setting he could stand, so that when he got in a minute later he was attacked by near scalding water. Just the way he liked it.  
  
It was the best way to relax.

* * *

When Blaine emerged from the bathroom an hour later, freshly showered and his hair neatly gelled, the others were still fast asleep. Well, most of them. The twins were wide awake, both of them wearing fresh uniforms and bright smiles, sitting crossed legged on Blaine's bed as they waited for him.   
  
"Ariel!" James (Blaine was pretty sure it was James that wore his Warbler pin on the left side) grinned, his voice lowered so it wouldn't wake the others.   
  
"How are you?" Josh (pin on the right) asked, both boys scooting apart so that Blaine could sit between them. Hesitantly, he did, shrugging slightly as an answer to their question. "Are you okay? We were kind of worried after last night."  
  
_Last night?_ Blaine tilted his head confused at them, not sure what they were talking about. The last thing he remembered about last night was them leaving, and that really couldn't have been enough to worry them, could it?  
  
"Your nightmare." James elaborated, exchanging a worried glance with his brother when the confusion only settled deeper on to Blaine's face when he said that. "Don't you remember?"   
  
Blaine shook his head, looking between the two boys carefully, his own panic rising as the alarm grew on their face. What had happened last night? Why did they seem so worried that he didn't remember it?  
  
"Ariel, you had a really bad nightmare last night."   
  
"You were screaming, thrashing, we were afraid you were going to hurt yourself"  
  
"When we found you were backed in the corner"   
  
"Your eyes were open but sort of glazed over, like you weren't here"  
  
"You had no idea where you were, or what was going on"   
  
"You kept kicking and swinging your arms violently,"  
  
"James and I had to hold you down so you wouldn't hurt yourself"   
  
"Or anyone else for that matter."  
  
"We managed to calm you down eventually"   
  
"Guess we put you to sleep by singing"   
  
"We decided to stay the night in case it happened again"   
  
"All of our blankets were in here too, so you know that's another reason"   
  
Blaine blinked slowly, his eyebrows knitting in confusion as he listened to their story. He had absolutely no memory of any of what they were talked about, even when he tried his hardest to remember it nothing came up.   
  
"B, don't worry about it." Cooper's sleepy voice came from the other side of the bed, and three heads turned to look at him in unison, which made him laugh slightly despite his only half awake state. "You hardly ever remember any of your nightmares. You haven't since a few weeks after they started. Dr. Jenny said it's perfectly normal."   
  
"You didn't miss much anyways. Just these two idiots freaking out after you fell asleep." Evan added from across the room, looking up from his phone just in time to catch the matching glares the twin sent him. "They were terrified for their Ariel. It was actually quite touching really."   
  
Blaine blinked slowly, looking between the twins with a look close to awe as they both smiled sheepishly down at him.   
  
"We're a little protective over those we care about." James admitted somewhat reluctantly, looking slightly embarrassed. On the other side of Blaine, Josh had an identical look of embarrassment.   
  
"Sometimes too protective we've been told." Josh added, causing Cooper to snort quietly, almost fondly as he shook his head at the boys.   
  
"Sometimes? You two tried to kill the guys that ruined Mason's art show last year, or did you just forget that?" Cooper asked, crossing his arms and raising one eyebrow at the twins, who didn't flinch under his gaze, but instead sat up a little straighter.   
  
"They deserved that." The twins said firmly together, looking away from Cooper to where Mason still laid sound asleep on his bed of pillows. "Mase cried for hours. He had spent months planning and building that show. They had no right-"   
  
"None of us were happy." Evan interrupted, walking closing the group, lowering his voice so the others didn't wake up, especially not his brother. It was still a sore subject for Mason, like the twins said he had poured more time and love into that show than any of them thought possible. It was his pride and joy. "But you two went way too far."   
  
"It would have been worse if you didn't stop us." James said darkly, a look of pure hatred on his face that was matched only by Josh, who was glaring holes in the wall behind Mason. "They would have regretted ever laying a hand on his things."  
  
"You gave one of them a concussion and two others broke bones from the fall. One of them nearly lost an eye." Cooper replied plainly, and Blaine's eyes widened slightly as he glanced towards the twins, but there wasn't a hit of remorse on their faces. "Three of them almost got pulled out by their parents because of what you did. You almost got expelled."   
  
"Forget getting expelled, you two are lucky you didn't get arrested or sent to juvie." David hissed from across the room, kicking Wes with his good leg in an attempt to wake him up. "Move your ass Wesley. I have to pee."   
  
"Don't get mad at me because the twins are idiots." Wes grumbled, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and sitting up, shaking his gavel at the twins threateningly as an afterthought. "And you two. I will not hesitate you hit you both with this if you ever try something like that again."   
  
"We won't if they don't." The twins said together, giving the group that told them there was no point in arguing. There was no getting them to back down, especially over something like this.   
  
"For Mason's sake let's hope they don't." Evan sighed, looking over at his brother, who was starting to stir in his sleep as David walked past him, his crutches clicking softly on the floor. "He can't handle that happening again."   
  
"Shh, he's waking up." The twins hissed together, causing the entire room to fall silent as Mason slowly sat up, rubbing in his eyes in a sleep induced haze.  
  
"Uh, what's going on guys?" Mason asked confused, blinking at the group of boys who were all staring at him with various degrees of guilt written on their faces. "You didn't get into any more trouble, did you?"   
  
"Without you Mason? We would never." Wes smirked, making the others laugh in agreement. Well, except for the twins who were sharing a sly grin.   
  
"What did you two do?" Evan sighed, raising one eyebrow at the twins, who only grinned wider at his accusation.   
  
"Nothing." The twins replied, batting their eyelashes in an attempt to look innocent, though they really weren't fooling anyone. "Well at least nothing yet. We can't promise about later."   
  
"I was not involved with whatever this was." Evan said plainly, crossing his arms and standing up, stretching slightly as he did. "Now I'm going to go get dressed. I suggest that the rest of you do the same."   
  
"We can get a table in the dining area and get coffee for everyone." The twins suggested, to which the others agreed to easily.   
  
"Sounds like a plan. B, are you coming?" Cooper asked, pausing at the doorway when he noticed his brother still hadn't moved from where he sat on the bed.   
  
"Come on Ariel, we'll buy your coffee." The twins promised, walking back towards Blaine, each sticking a hand out for him to take but still he just stared back at then hesitantly, so James added "The largest cup we can buy. We can get whatever you want."   
  
"You and your coffee obsession." Cooper sighed good-naturedly, shaking his head as Blaine allowed the twins to pull him off the bed at the promise of a large coffee, all traces of hesitation wiped from his face. "It's why you're so short you know."   
  
Blaine huffed in response, sticking his tongue out at his brother and crossing his arms as if to say 'Is not.'   
  
Cooper laughed, reaching a hand over to ruffle Blaine's hair but his brother slapped him away before he could, whining slightly.   
  
"Don't bully Ariel." The twins chastised Cooper together, pulling the younger boy protectively to their chests. Blaine flinched slightly at first from the movement before relaxing against the pair, a slight smile on his face. "There is nothing wrong with loving coffee."   
  
"Looks like I've been replaced as best big brother." Cooper teased, trying to sound hurt but the smile on his face gave him away almost instantly. "I feel so betrayed."   
  
Blaine rolled his eyes, smiling wider as he wiggled free of the twins grasp and playful shoved his brother, silently telling him to 'Shut up'.  
  
"Well Blaine may have eight new big brothers," Josh started,   
  
"But we're pretty sure you're still his favorite." James finished, looking down at Blaine for confirmation, only to find the boy staring back at him looking utterly baffled at what they meant.   
  
"It's a Marauders thing, we all sort of adopt each other as brothers." Cooper replied, slightly distracted as he checked his watch and noticed the time. "You two, take care of Blaine. I have to get ready."   
  
"Yes sir!" The twins replied, saluting Cooper as he walked out of the room, leaving the three alone. Blaine grabbed his bag from the end of his bed, carefully slipping it over his head so it rested across his body and pulling on his shoes before stepping back between the twins, indicating to them he was ready to leave.   
  
"Ariel, do you want to go with James to get the coffees or with me to get breakfast?" Josh asked they walked across the bridge, both of the twins laughing when Blaine instantly stepped closer to James. "Should have guessed."   
  
"Coffee beats food." James teased, wrapping an arm around Blaine as they entered the dining room, and the younger boy instantly flinched closer to James as the noise hit him. "We'll meet you at the table Josh."   
  
"Don't forget the coffee for Charlie and Julius. I'm sure someone told them that we're buying by now." Josh reminded his brother, squeezing Blaine's shoulder once before walking in the opposite direction, disappearing into the small crowd of people that was starting to form.   
  
"Let's go get some coffee Ariel, before the line gets too long." James said, already leading Blaine expertly through the crowds to the coffee cart and the small line that stood there. More people poured into line behind them, and Blaine had to turn so that he could actual marvel at just how long it had gotten in a matter of minutes. Cooper hadn't been kidding when he said the entire school got coffee here.   
  
"Best business in the school. Everyone comes here for their morning coffee." The boy behind the counter said, smirking slightly at the awed look Blaine was giving the crowd. "That's why we try to memorize as many orders as possible. Josh you need the usual?"   
  
"Actually I'm picking up drinks for all the Marauders." James replied, rolling his eyes at Blaine when he was called the wrong name, but he still smiled brightly at the boy behind the counter nonetheless. Jesse his name tag read.   
  
"And what about you Freshman? What do you drink?" Jesse asked, leaning on the counter and peering down at Blaine curiously. "You now, you look awful familiar."   
  
"This is Cooper's little brother, Blaine." Blaine smiled shyly at James's introduction, giving Jesse a slight wave even as he gripped tighter to James, making the older boy laugh slightly. "He wants the largest Medium Drip you can give him."   
  
"You sure you can handle that? It's an awfully big cup for such a small kid." Jesse smirked, and Blaine bristled at his words, giving Jesse a slight glare. He was not a kid and he was certainly not small.  
  
"Hey, he's just teasing Ariel," James soothed, noticing the tension rolling off the younger boy, and he rubbed Blaine's arm gently in an attempt to calm him. "It's how he talks to people."  
  
Blaine frowned at James, anger flaring up in him at the words. That was the same argument every bully made when they got caught 'I was only teasing. It was just a joke.' What was worse was that Blaine actually thought he could trust James, that he was one of the good guys, and yet here he was making excuses for bullies.   
  
Blaine's frowned deepened, and before either boy could stop him he turned on his heel and marched off, darting his way easily through the crowd. 'At least my size has some advantage' he thought to himself, as he ducked under the arms of the taller boys and squeezed through the gaps between others as searched for the way out. He was done trusting others. They all wound up betraying him in the end.   
  
It was all going great until Blaine walked headfirst into a tall blonde boy, sending him falling to the floor as Blaine froze, fear coursing through his body. Memories of bullies and beatings flashed through his head in quick secession, and he was shaking before the other boy could even begin to talk.   
  
"That's one way to meet someone knew." The boy said, a bright smile on his face as he essentially jumped up, his friend watching on slightly wearily. "Hi, I'm Jeff! And this is my friend Nick."  
  
Jeff held his hand out to Blaine, but the younger boy didn't move, instead stared up at him in fear enough that he couldn't do more then release a quiet squeak of surprise, flinching away from the hand like it was about to hit him.   
  
Jeff frowned, dropping his hand as he looked towards Nick, hoping he'd have some kind of advice on what to do. Nick shrugged helplessly, but still he took a small step forward so that he was beside Jeff and said "Hey, we're not going to hurt you, okay? What's your name?"   
  
Blaine wasn't listening though. The sounds around him had all faded into a dull roar, so that all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, all he could feel was the constricting pain in his chest as it became harder to breathe and everything started to blur together a little bit, the present mixing with the past as memories of his old high school, of Sadie Hawkins, all of it blurred together, until all he saw was faces and all he heard insults, and his entire body ached from the feeling of being kicked and punched over and over.   
  
It was only Jeff's lightning reflexes developed from dancing that allowed him to dart forward and catch Blaine when suddenly the boy's knees gave out and he went falling for the floor.  
  
Blaine whimpered quietly from the contact but didn't try to move away, instead he fell limp in Jeff's arms, not moving except the shallow rising and falling of his breath.   
  
Jeff and Nick shared an alarmed look, and without a further word they each wrapped one of Blaine's arms around their neck, and together they took off for the nurses wing as quick as possible.  
  
Neither of them were aware of the twins searching frantically through the dining room for Blaine, or the panic they were about to cause by dragging him away.

* * *

James hated himself for losing Blaine, hated the guilt that washed over him in waves the second Blaine disappeared from his sight and that increased the second he found out the boy was missing. It was his fault, as much as Josh tried to convince him otherwise, and he hated himself for it. He hated the worry he caused his friends, the pure fear he caused Cooper the second he heard his brother was gone.   
  
And he hated finding out that Blaine had been sent to the hospital wing because he lost him.  
  
James took one look at the empty look on Blaine's face when they entered the hospital wing a few minutes later, and he turned and ran. Josh, overwhelmed by a similar guilt, turned and followed his brother. 

* * *

Blaine was sitting with his legs pulled tightly to his chest when the others arrived, and didn't seem to necessarily notice them they walked in, was too busy tracing light patterns on the bed, tears silently dropping down his cheeks, he didn't even look up as they walked over to him. When Cooper took a seat on the bed beside him Blaine slowly lifted his head to stare at him, but no sign of recognition lit up on his face, not even when Cooper reached out a rubbed his arm softly.  
  
"Blainey? Are you okay?" Cooper said softly, looking his brother over with growing concern when Blaine didn't even answer, only blinked at him slowly in response, his head tilted slightly like he hardly recognized him. "What's wrong with him? W-Why is he acting like this?"   
  
Cooper's voice was panicked, and he looked quickly over at Nurse Cathy for answers, for some kind of explanation as to what happened to his brother.   
  
"He's most likely dissociating." Nurse Cathy explained, a slight frown on her face as she looked through the chart she had made for Blaine. "It's a common way PTSD survivors cope with the trauma and pain they've gone through. He's fine he's just... not connected to reality right now."   
  
"Why is it happening now though? The dance was months ago, this never happened before, why is it now?" Cooper asked, frowning down at his brother, who was staring at him with a blank look.   
  
"I don't know." Nurse Cathy admitted, looking up from Blaine's chart just in time to catch the confused look Cooper gave her. "It could be any number of things. Symptoms develop at different rates, but it could be that something recently triggered this reaction. A new medicine perhaps, or it could just be from the stress of moving into a new environment. Like animals, it can take people weeks to get settled into their new homes, and until they do they are often anxious, stressed, and so the mind copes in any way it can."   
  
"But he's going to be okay, isn't he?" David asked, leaning on the end of Blaine's bed to take the weight off his hurt leg, which was starting to hurt more the longer he stood on it. "He's not going to stay like this forever, right?"   
  
"Mr. Anderson will be just fine." Nurse Cathy assured the boys, causing relief to flood through the room. Evan came up and squeezed Cooper's shoulders encouragingly, and David even managed a slight smile through his pain.  
  
"Are you okay?" Wes asked David softly, as he others started to ask questions about when Blaine would be himself again. Real worry was on the Asian boy's face as he stared at his best friend and the clear pain he was in.   
  
"I'm fine." David muttered in response, though he knew there was no point in lying because Wes could easily see through him. "Okay fine, my arms hurt a bit from these crutches and my ankle does too, but it's not so bad."  
  
Wes hummed in response, not thinking twice before grabbing one of David's arms and slinging it around his shoulders so that he could lean on Wes, giving both his arms and ankle a slight break. David smiled gratefully in response, relaxing against his best friend and allowing Wes to hold up some of his weight.  
  
"This reminds of the last time you got drunk, only you were the one leaning on me." David mused, a true grin forming on his face as he looked over at Wes, who was hardly able to contain an eye roll. "You were so far gone you couldn't even walk on your own, I physically had to support you to keep you standing."  
  
"You're just upset because you got tapped to be the designated driver." Wes replied, actually rolling his eyes this time but he was grinning too. "Is this payback for that night?"   
  
"Maybe." David smirked, and Wes laughed quietly, hitting his friend playfully on the arm.   
  
"Guys, where are the twins?" Mason asked suddenly, a frown on his face as he looked around the room, not finding any sight of them.   
  
"They were with us when we got here." Evan frowned, looking around as well, but not finding a single trace of them.   
  
"Do you think they left?" David asked, glancing toward the door which was opened just slightly, looking for the twins through it though he knew he wouldn't be able to see them.   
  
"Why would they do that?" Wes returned, looking quizzically at his friends, nodding towards Blaine. "They're so protective over Blaine, they wouldn't just leave if he was hurt."  
  
"Unless they blame themselves." Cooper said quietly from the bed, his eyes widening slightly as the realization hit him. "They were the ones watching him and they were the ones that lost him, they probably blame themselves for all of this. Fuck."   
  
"I'll go find them." Mason offered, already walking towards the door. "I have a pretty good idea where they went anyways."  
  
"And where is that Mr. Smarty pants?" Wes challenged, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at him, but Mason only smirked in response, shaking his head.   
  
"I'm afraid that is classified information, Wesley." Mason replied, his smirk growing as he others only groaned in response.   
  
"Just bring those idiots back here." Evan told his brother, rolling his eyes as the younger boy saluted him before he walked out the door. Evan sighed, turning back towards Cooper and Blaine as the door slammed shut, and the younger Anderson jumped, life flooding back onto his face in an instant.   
  
"Cooper?" Blaine said, blinking a few times at his brother, reaching over to touch him gently on the arm, like he was trying to make sure he was real. "What just happened?"   
  
"Blainey." Cooper breathed, ignoring his brother's question in favor of pulling him into a hug, squeezing him tightly for a minute before he finally answered. "You were dissociating Blaine. You were here but you were also somewhere else."   
  
"I'm quite aware of that Cooper. I was the one experiencing it." Blaine replied, squirming out of his brother's arms, about to ask him something else when his eyes caught sight of the others, and the words died in his throat as a rush of anxiety washed over him.   
  
"Blainey, what happened in the cafeteria?" Cooper asked, not noticing the fear that has gripped his brother again at the sight of his friends. "You were supposed to stay with the twins, what happened?"   
  
Blaine shook his head, looking around the room for the twins and frowning when he noticed they were missing. He tried his best convey his confusion to his brother, but all Cooper could do was shrug helplessly in response.   
  
"The twins left before we got here. Mason went to find them, but we're pretty sure they feel responsible for what happened." Evan explained, tilting his head curiously at the younger Anderson, who only seemed to frown deeper when he heard this.   
  
"Which you still haven't told us," Cooper added, also looking down at his brother, trying to see if he could read the answer on Blaine's face, but the boy wasn't looking at him, was only focusing on the door with furrowed eyebrows and a deep frown.   
  
Finally, with a grim sort of determination on his face, Blaine pulled out his phone, quickly typing something out before handing it to Cooper.   
  
"It was just a misunderstanding. We have to find the twins, I need to apologize." Even as Cooper read the note Blaine was climbing out the of the bed, grabbing his book bag from the chair where it sat before walking towards the door, pausing in front of it to turn back to the others, lifting his eyebrow at them as if to ask 'Are you coming?'   
  
"B, you really shouldn't leave..." Cooper started, trailing off as his brother rolled his eyes, flinging the door open before he could be stopped and marching down the hall. Sighing heavily, Cooper stood up, motioning for the others to follow him. "Come on, before the little bugger gets lost."   
  
"He's awfully determined, isn't he?" David said, slightly amused as he took his crutches from Evan, and Wes nodded beside him, a grin on his face.   
  
"I think little Anderson has found his moxie." David laughed, shoving Wes playfully, which only served to make the Asian boy laugh in return.   
  
"You are never allowed to watch that movie again."

* * *

The thing about twins was that when they didn't want you to find them, it was essentially impossible to do so. They knew Dalton and it's grounds inside and out, knew all the hidden passages and secrets doors, forest clearings and hidden gardens, it was like they had a map of the school memorized and could cross from one side of its grounds to the other in a matter of minutes, far faster than anyone else thanks to their extensive knowledge. If they didn't want to be found you wouldn't find them, it was as simple as that.   
  
Unless you were Mason Taylor that is.  
  
Last year, after the art show and the subsequent breaking of Mason, the twins took him to their secret hide out in hopes of making it up to him. See, Mason didn't take the news of the twins beating up those boys any better than he did the news of his show being ruined, and they wanted to apologize in the best place they knew how.   
  
They took Mason to their hidden tree house in the forest. Afterwards he was sworn to secrecy to never tell, but they explained to the younger Taylor that the tree house was usually the place they went when they disappeared. It was their safe space.   
  
So Mason knew the tree house was likely the place he was going to find the twins, but it was more than a little trek to get to it, and he really didn't want to ruin another pair of shoes going into the woods, so he decided to check some of their more well known hiding spots first. The Warbler room, the empty art room, even their dorm room was empty. He didn't have a choice.   
  
Mason grumbled as he changed into a pair of boots before heading out, he was just walking out of the doors of the residence hall when someone called his name, and he turned around relieved when he saw Cooper walking towards him. "Did the twins come back?"   
  
"No, sadly not." Cooper sighed, deflating slightly. "I thought you found them."  
  
"I was just going to get them." Mason sighed, pulling his jacket tighter to him. It wasn't exactly cold outside, but he would be damned if he ruined his uniform retrieving the twins. The jacket provided at least a little protection to his clothes. "I was hoping they'd be around here, but they've obviously gone to their secret hide out."   
  
"So you do know where they are?" Cooper asked, and Blaine perked up behind him, sticking his head around Cooper and looking up at Mason with hopeful eyes.  
  
Mason jumped, a little shocked at the suddenly presence of Blaine, but recovered quickly, nodding grimly. "I was practically kidnapped and dragged there. You don't exactly forget that."   
  
Cooper laughed softly as he remembered that day, how Mason came back yelling and screaming about his shined clothes and being kidnapped, but he refused to tell the others what happened when they asked beyond saying "The twins". Though with those two, there was hardly the need for more explanation.   
  
Blaine's face has lit up slightly when Mason said he knew where the twins were, and as Cooper laughed he stood on his tiptoes, whispering quietly to his brother.   
  
"B wants to know if you'll take him with you." Cooper said, relaying the message to Mason as Blaine whispered it to him, looking just the slightest bit amused at the situation. "He says it's important he talks to them. He won't tell me what happened in the cafeteria, but apparently he feels bad about it. I assume the twins do too, judging by the fact they left."  
  
Cooper added this last part to his brother, trying to soothe the younger boy some, but his words only made the anxiety and urgency grow on Blaine's face.   
  
"No one is supposed to know about their hideout." Mason said slowly, causing Blaine to shoot him a pleading, and slightly desperate look. Mason sighed heavily, giving in after a moment. "Fine, Fine, I'll take you. But only you Blaine, sorry Coop but they would really kill me if you came too."   
  
Blaine smiled gratefully before turning his pleading look to his brother, who did not exactly look fond of sending Blaine off god knows where with someone that hardly knew how to take care of him. It was really, really hard to say hard to his brother's puppy face.   
  
"Mason are you sure you know where you're going?" Cooper asked worriedly, running a hand down his face when Mason nodded. Beside him Blaine was still fixing him with his puppy eyes, making Cooper groan dramatically, giving in. "Fine. Okay, you can go with him. But keep your phone on you, and text me when you reach the twins, okay?"   
  
Blaine nodded, giving Cooper a quick hug before stepping towards Mason, looking up at the older boy with nervous anticipation.   
  
"We'll be back in a few hours." Mason promised, chuckling a bit at the sheer alarm that crossed Cooper's face when he heard the time. "Before lunch, I promise. Until then you and the others should head to class, no sense in us all getting in trouble."   
  
"Text me as soon as you come back and I'll meet you." Cooper said again, giving Blaine a final hug and kissing his forehead softly. "Try talking to the twins, okay Blainey? They won't judge you, I promise. They understand more than you think."   
  
Cooper smiled softly, brushing an escaped curl from Blaine's face before stepping back from his brother, walking back towards the school without stopping, waiting until the doors were shut safely behind him to text the others the update. Now there was nothing to do but wait.   
  
At least patience was something that ran in the Anderson blood. 

* * *

Mason texted the twins before he and Blaine stared on their trek towards the tree house, so it wasn't like it was a surprise to them when the two appeared at the bottom of their tree house, but still seeing Blaine was a bit of a shock. Mostly because his face was lit up in a complete awe they hadn't yet seen as his eyes raked over the house.   
  
"There's a better view from up here." James called down to the boys, leaning out of one window as Josh leaned out of the other. Blaine jumped in surprise at the sudden sound of their voices, but upon catching sight of the twins he relaxed, a small smile on his face.   
  
"It's awfully high up there too." Mason called back, observing the structure apprehensively. The last time he was there he had hardly been in a state to protest, but this time his fear of heights was very much pronounced and did not like the look of the ladder. "You two could always come down here."  
  
"Not how this works." Josh shook his head, both twins disappearing from their windows to open the trapdoor.   
  
"Come on Mase, it isn't that bad." James added, smiling down at the boy, who still looked extremely doubtful.   
  
"It's not even windy today."   
  
"You don't have to go near the windows, promise."  
  
"You didn't come all this way for nothing, did you?"   
  
Blaine perked up a little at these words, and after looking between Mason and the twins he squared his shoulders, shifting his bag to a more convenient position before he started climbing up the tree, moving exceptionally fast and with all the practice of an old pro.   
  
"Climb trees often?" Josh asked as he helped Blaine through the trapdoor, and the younger boy nodded, a awed look once again on his face as he looked around the tree house.   
  
"Mase are you coming?" James yelled back down the ladder, tilting his head slightly at the boy, who sighed heavily before stepping on the bottom rung of the ladder, starting up at the rest of it before gulping nervously.   
  
"Come on Mase, we promise it's safe." Josh added, giving Mason an encouraging smile.   
  
"If I die..." Mason started, his words trailing off as he started to climb, moving much slower than Blaine did, looking more terrified with every step he took. A few steps from the top he froze, looking back towards the ground and swaying slightly when he saw how far up he was.   
  
"Grab him." Josh said, reaching out at the same time as his brother did, each of them grabbing one of Mason's arms as the boy started to slip, pulling him up into the treehouse with little effort and slamming the trapdoor shut behind him.   
  
"You okay Mason?" James asked concernedly, crouching down on one side of the boy as Josh stood on his other.   
  
"I hate heights." Mason replied, taking a deep breath as he made himself more comfortable on the floor, scooting so that he could lean against the couch the twins had in the center of the room. "I'm staying right here until it's time to go down."   
  
"Just don't look out any windows." Josh said, a slight smirk on his face, and Mason rolled his eyes, hitting the taller boy lightly in the ankles.   
  
"Just go make up with Blaine so we can get out of here." Mason muttered, pulling out his phone and putting in his headphones before the twins could object. "I figured you might want a little privacy."   
  
"Thanks Mase." James said, patting the boy lightly on his shoulder before standing up, moving beside his brother so that they were shoulder to shoulder, both of them watching Blaine, who was still wandering around the tree house in a state of awe, leaning out the windows and taking in the truly incredible view of Dalton from up here.   
  
"Blaine," Josh called after a moment, catching the attention of the younger boy, who turned towards the two of them with a small smile.   
  
"Are you okay Ariel?" James asked, an infinite about of concern and guilt flooding his face, though it faded only to guilt when Blaine nodded, smiling more as he gestured to himself, as if to say 'I'm all right here'. "I'm sorry about-"   
  
Blaine shook his head, cutting James off when he held up his hand, motioning towards himself 'I'm the one who's sorry.'  
  
"Ariel, this wasn't your fault," Josh tried, but Blaine him off again, this time taking a step closer the twins, looking up at them with an odd sort of look, one of determination that they didn't quite understand until suddenly   
  
"I-I shouldn't have run off. M-My anxiety took over an-and I ran away and I shouldn't have." Blaine explained, speaking quickly and tripping over his words, which flooded out of him like water from a dam, and once he started he couldn't stop, not until he finished what he was saying. "I-It's just that Ja-James was talking to that boy an-and he teased me about my height and I-I know it was a joke b-but the bullies at my old school would do the same thing an-and so I-I ran because my anxiety was, was basically telling me that you were just like them and I know that's not true b-but I can't help it because sometimes, sometimes I think stupid irrational things and I can't stop them an-and I'm sorry for running off and worrying you b-but I couldn't stop myself, sorry."   
  
"Oh Ariel," James sighed, dropping down on his knees on one side of the boy as Josh did the same on his opposite, the two wrapping a slightly shaking Blaine into a hug. "I should have known, I'm sorry I upset you."   
  
"It's really not your fault." Blaine muttered, shaking his head with a slight frown. "I'm the one that's all messed up."   
  
"You are not messed up." Josh said firmly, causing the younger boy to blink up at him in surprise at his tone. "You just have scars, is all."   
  
"And I shouldn't have teased you. We know how it can feel to think the world is against you." James added, and now Blaine turned towards with an even more surprised look. "Josh and I weren't always popular, you know."   
  
"It's true. Before Dalton we were basically constantly picked on, they all thought we were freaks because we enjoyed pranking and no one ever knew who our parents were." Josh explained, and James nodded in agreement.  
  
"Even when we got to Dalton everyone kind of avoided us because we were troublemakers,"   
  
"We may have caused a small fire on our first day,"   
  
"That really turns people off for some reason,"  
  
"So we didn't really have any friends at first,"  
  
"Well until Wes and David asked us to join the Warblers,"  
  
"They were a fan of our work at least,"   
  
"It still took awhile for us to actually fit in with the Warblers,"  
  
"Our council last year wasn't fond of us, mostly because we kept switching names and places in the ranks"  
  
"They tried to separate us and put us on opposite sides. No one separates the Evans's twins."   
  
"Eventually though Cooper and Evan became our friends,"   
  
"Cooper hated the council too and Evan was Cooper's best friend"   
  
"And the rest is history."  
  
"The four of us became friends, and along with Wes and David, we wrecked havoc on the school."   
  
"Oh, and Mason, though he always tries to avoid our plans when he can."   
  
"If your accessories cost as much as mine did, you'd avoid your dirty pranks too." Mason said plainly from across the room, taking out one headphone as he observed the trio, raising an eyebrow at them. "I take it you three have made up?"   
  
"We resolved our misunderstanding, yes." James said, and Mason rolled his eyes in response, placing his headphone back in.   
  
"Let me know when you're ready to leave." Mason yelled over his music, and both the twins gave him a simultaneous thumbs up before turning back to Blaine, who was studying them curiously.   
  
"D-Did Dalton ever feel like your home?" Blaine asked shyly after a moment, his voice much softer than before and he blushed almost as soon as he asked, looking down at the floor.   
  
"From the moment we stepped in it." Josh confirmed, sharing a meaningful smirk with his brother.   
  
"Dalton was always kind of home to us, even when we were kids." James added, and Blaine furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.   
  
"Dad went to Dalton, and so did his dad and his dad, there's been an Evans in Dalton for as long as anyone can remember."   
  
"We always knew we would attend here one day, and Dad always had such great stories,"   
  
"And since our parents moved our actual home around so much,"  
  
"Dalton became our definition of home."   
  
"I-I think, I think Dalton might be my home too." Blaine admitted quietly after a moment, standing up between the boys so he could walk over the window, leaning out it slightly to stare at the school. "I haven't felt that way since we left San Francisco after my mom died."  
  
"Most of the boys think of Dalton as their second home." Josh said, walking over to the window beside Blaine, also leaning out it slightly.   
  
"But for a few of us, Dalton is our first home." James added, standing behind his brother and sighing happily at the view.   
  
"Like for James and I."   
  
"And for me too."   
  
"Exactly Ariel. For us, Dalton was really the first place we ever felt like we belonged."   
  
"Dalton,"  
  
"And more importantly the Warblers,"   
  
"Is our home."   
  
Blaine smiled up at the boys, a warm feeling washing over him as he looked from them back to Dalton. Home. This is what home felt like. This is what his home felt like.    
  
"Hey Ariel," Josh said after a moment, smirking at his brother, the same idea coming to them at once. "You said you climbed trees, right?"   
  
Blaine nodded, a slight grin on his face. If they were thinking what he thought they were...   
  
"How would you like the best view of Dalton you'll ever get?" James asked, and Blaine grinned wider, nodding enthusiastically.   
  
"Mason, we're going to climb trees!" Josh yelled over his shoulder, as he followed his brother and Blaine out the window and onto the tree.   
  
"You're all idiots." Mason called in response, shivering slightly as he watched them inching out carefully. God knows why they thought that was a good idea. He shook his head, looking back to his phone, where he was doing a bit of online shopping as a way of distraction. "Absolutely mad." 

* * *

The view from the top of the tree truly was stunning, more so than even the view from the tree house, but Blaine didn't get to enjoy it long before the twins got a text from Cooper that had them all scrambling down again. Even Mason didn't hesitate to climb back down the ladder, moving incredibly fast for someone with such a fear of heights. Both Josh and James only climbed partially down the ladder before jumping off it, taking off at a run towards the school, Mason and Blaine trailing behind them.   
  
"I'll take Blaine back to his room, you two get into class now!" Mason yelled as they neared the school, and the twins both shot him a thumbs up before running in one direction, Blaine and Mason heading the opposite way.   
  
"S-Shouldn't you get to class too?" Blaine asked, slowing his pace as they neared the dorms. "I can make it back in my own."   
  
"Unlike the twins, I am not already in trouble, so a little class skipping isn't a big deal. Besides, my first period is art and Mr. Manachelle is super chill." Mason said, rolling his eyes before adding "And your brother would kill me if I left you alone."   
  
"Fair point." Blaine agreed, his voice softening as they entered the dorm building. There were a few kids lounging around in the common area, seniors with a free period, a couple of whom waved to Mason as they passed.   
  
"They're in the Art club with me." Mason explained when he saw the curious look on Blaine's face. "Now, are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself until lunch?"   
  
Blaine had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as they stopped outside of his room, nodding to reassure Mason he would be just fine.   
  
"Well as long as the twins didn't get caught, we'll all see you at lunch then." Mason smiled, about to walk down the hall when Blaine grabbed his arm, a concerned look on his face.   
  
"D-Do you think the twins made it back okay?" Blaine asked quietly, biting his lip nervously.   
  
Mason shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea. But knowing the twins, I'm sure they're just fine."   
  
"I hope so." Blaine whispered, letting go of Mason and taking a step back so he was in his room now. "See you later Mason."   
  
"See ya Blaine." Mason smiled, and Blaine watched him walk away until he rounded the corner. Slowly he closed the door, taking his phone from his pocket and throwing it on his bed before he fell down beside it, rubbing a hand across his face. God he really hoped the twins were okay.   
  
Blaine didn't notice, but his phone was still lit up on the text message Cooper had sent that had them all scrambling:   
  
**Windsor has heard the twins aren't in class. We're trying to stall, but you have to hurry before she gets your class and sees you're not there.** **  
****Take Blaine to his room and get to class.** **  
****Hurry!!!**  
  
A second message blinked underneath it, one meant just for Blaine:   
  
**B, you're excused from classes until lunch. Stay in your room until someone comes by to get you**.  
  
Blaine sighed frustratedly as he picked up his phone and read the second message again.   
  
He would have been fine to go to class before lunch. At least he would've had something to do.   
  
Blaine paused, his eye catching the sight of his keyboard that Cooper had convinced him to bring, just in case...   
  
Just in case a moment like this came and Blaine found the inspiration to start writing songs again. 

* * *

**WarblerLead- Anyone heard anything about the twins?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- What about us?** **  
** **  
** **PianoMan- They made it back to class just before Windsor arrived.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- She looked kind of exasperated honestly** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- The sub couldn't tell her if they had been there all class or not, so they couldn't even get into trouble.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- You two are so lucky Mrs. Ramos isn't coming back until next week. ** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- It's not like they would have gotten into any real trouble.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- They do have a particular way of getting out of all trouble.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We're Dean Windsor's favorites.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- Clearly.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Did you two make up with Blaine?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We did.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Speaking of Blaine, what are we going to do about his nightmares?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Night Terrors actually.** **  
** **  
** **PianoMan- If he doesn't remember anything like you said, he could hurt himself.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- He was pretty far gone** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- I'm surprised he didn't hurt anyone with the way he was fighting the twins** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- So what are you going to do?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We have a plan for that actually.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- You do?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We came up with it last night when everyone was sleeping.** **  
** **We call it Blaine Duty.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- And what exactly does Blaine Duty entail?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Taking care of Ariel of course.** **  
** **We have a rotating schedule already.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Of course you do.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Taking care of him how?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Well in every way. Whoever has Blaine Duty at the time would sleep in his room to help in case of the Night Terrors,** **  
** **But they're also on Blaine duty during the day** **  
** **  
** **PianoMan- The day?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Why would you need it during the day?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Well you know how Blaine hates crowds?** **  
** **Day Blaine Duty includes walking him to class,** **  
** **Removing him from the situation if he starts to panic,** **  
** **Helping him with homework,** **  
** **And watching over him in Warbler practice.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Why in Warbler practice? ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- He really doesn't like your gavel Wes.** **  
** **Scares the absolute shit out of him.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- oh** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Also Blaine doesn't smile enough so we figured whoever is on Blaine Duty is in charge of making him smile at once that day.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- You guys really thought this out.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Ariel is one of us.** **  
** **You know how protective we get.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Very aware of it, yes.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Anyways,** **  
** **Are we all in agreement over Blaine Duty?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Absolutely.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Juls and I are in.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- I'm for it ** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Same.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- I'm in.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- Yeah why not.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Operation Blaine Duty is officially a go.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Who has first duty?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- You our dear Cooper.** **  
** **We figured being Ariel's brother, he would warm up to the idea more if you were the first one in line.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- We'll tell him after school?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Probably the best idea.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- So who is going to pick him up for lunch? Cooper? ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Well who's closest?** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- I have a free period. I can head over and get him.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Speaking of class, aren't we all in it?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Yeah** **  
** **  
** **PianoMan- What's your point?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- That we should all put up our phones and pay attention?** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Technically yes. ** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Mr. Howard is glaring at me so he's probably right.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Yeah I'm probably about to lose my phone here, gotta go.** **  
** **  
** **PianoMan- See you guys at lunch** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- If we live to lunch that is  
  
PianoMan- ...  
  
ExplodingCharlie- I'm just saying that we could all die at any moment. You don't know what's going to happen.  
  
PianoMan- Okay I am so done with you   
  
ExplodingCharlie- What did I say?  
  
PianoMan- ...  
  
ExplodingCharlie- You guys couldn't hear it but Julius just sighed really loudly  
I think he's upset  
I should go  
See you guys at lunch  
  
KeepYouInLine- And this is why you shouldn't be on your phone in class.  
Because Charlie always brings up death when he's in math.**

* * *

_And for the first time in my life_ _  
__I don't feel so alone_ _  
__  
__My heart starts to heal_ _  
__to know this is real._ _  
__This is how it must feel_ _  
__to have a home._  
  
Evan smiled as he listened to Blaine sing the last notes of his song, stopping the recording on his phone he was taking of the younger Anderson and quickly sliding it into his pocket before he started to clap, alerting Blaine for the first time to his presence despite the fact that he had been there quite some time.   
  
"That was amazing Blaine." Evan praised, walking over to the boy, who sat in the middle of his room at his keyboard, a bright red blush on his face from being caught. "That almost sounded better than Cooper, your voice is incredible. Did you write that song?"   
  
Blaine nodded, biting his lip as he stared down at his lap, nervously wringing his hands together. No one had ever heard him sing before besides Cooper, and as much as he praised him Blaine could never be sure it was actually true or not.  
  
"Blaine, that's incredible. That's a real gift. Do you realize how talented you are?" Evan asked, and Blaine blushed brighter, shaking his head.  
  
"T-They're n-not even that good." Blaine protested, frowning at the marked up paper in front of him, words and notes crossed out and rewritten several times over. "A-And it l-looks horrible."  
  
"Well it's sounds incredible." Evan assured him, squeezing Blaine’s shoulder lightly and eliciting a weak smile from the boy. “Now come on, the bell for lunch is about to ring, but if we hurry we should be able to make it to the table before the rush.”

Blaine nodded, slipping the music sheets into his folder with the rest of his work before standing up, grabbing his book bag and stuffing his phone in his pocket before following Evan out of his dorm and towards the school.

He didn’t realize as he trailed behind the older boy that Evan had pulled out his phone, and was sending the video he had recorded to their friends, with the caption underneath it reading:

**KeepYouInLine- It looks like little Anderson has really taken to Dalton.**

Evan paused, looking back at Blaine who was humming softly to himself, his cheeks still slightly red from the blush that hadn’t faded but there was a small smile on his face, before Evan added

**KeepYouInLine- I don’t know what you Evans boys did, but you sure made him happy.**

Response and praise for Blaine flooded the messages, and Evan remembered to type out one final message to the boys before they reached the doors to the cafeteria, reminding them

**KeepYouInLine- Whatever you do, don’t mention this to Blaine. He has no idea I took the video.**

He slipped his phone back into his pocket as Blaine stepped closer to him, and he gently squeezed the younger boy’s shoulder as they pushed the doors open and stepped into the dining room, reassuring Blaine that this time things would go better than before.

At least, things for Blaine would go better that is. Evan really couldn’t be sure about the others. They were, after all, supreme troublemakers.

* * *

Time with the Marauders was never boring, and lunch was no exception. The boys all talked over one another as they discussed their classes and their teachers, the latest gossip they heard and plans for the next Warbler practice. Josh and James, who were sitting on one side of Blaine, were talking to Charlie and Julius about their latest prank idea (After, of course, introducing the duo to Blaine). On the other side Cooper was debating heavily with Wes and David about the best Star Wars movie, and Evan was seemed to be in a heated discussion with Mason over something Blaine couldn't quite catch, but if the expression on either of their faces told him anything, it was serious. 

Blaine watched all of this with quiet solitude, listening to each conversation, but not really paying attention as he ate his food.   
  
At least, he wasn't paying attention until Wes bursted out suddenly "The meeting!"   
  
The table fell silent, and every single one of the older Warblers shared panicked looks before jumping up, rushing to throw away their food, leaving only a confused Julius and Blaine to watch them go.   
  
"You know, I've known these boys for a year and they still terrify me with their ability to communicate without actually speaking full sentences." Julius quipped, looking over at Blaine who turned to him with a confused look, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as if to ask what just happened. "It's a Warbler thing, I assume. Probably planning for the second part of initiation."   
  
Julius sighed, checking his phone to see if any of the boys would provide him with any clue of what was going on. But when none of them texted back, he sighed, picking up his school bag before standing up. "Well, lunch is still another 30 minutes. I'm going to the library until it's over, you care to join me?"   
  
Blaine paused, looking a Julius hesitantly before nodding, grabbing his bag and following the older boy out of dining room and into the infinitely quieter hallway.   
  
"The library is on the second and third floors, have you been there yet?" Blaine shook his head at Julius's question, shrugging slightly as if to say 'Haven't had a reason yet.'   
  
"You will, don't worry. Being part of the Marauders, the library is basically going to become your only escape from the craziness of the boys." Julius explained, walking slowly so that Blaine could marvel at the beauty of Dalton as they went along. "It's the only place even the twins don't dare bring their craziness. It's also the only place in the whole school that is always quiet, even at night there's noise in the dorms and sometimes the school of the twins are causing trouble."   
  
"Did I mention it's also probably the most spectacular library you'll ever enter?" Julius smirked at the awed look on Blaine's face as they stepped in, and the boy looked in wonder at the walls open walls of bookcases that reached all the way to the ceiling. Old tables and chairs that fit in perfectly, the big rug in the center of the room with the Dalton D on it. The reading nooks and hidden corners. Stepping into the library was like stepping back in time.   
  
"Come on B, let's make sure you're register so you can check out some books." Julius said, grabbing Blaine's elbow and leading the slightly dazed boy towards the receptionist.   
  
Armed with his fresh card for the Dalton library, Blaine set off to get lost in the maze of books, looking far more excited than perhaps a normal teenager should be at the prospect of having access to thousands of books.   
  
Julius chuckled as he watched him go, settling down at a nearby table before pulling out the latest plans he and Charlie had been working on.   
  
There had to be a way to keep their smoke bombs from exploding every time you touched them. He just wasn't sure yet what that way was. 

* * *

When the lights dimmed in the dining hall that night, the older students of Dalton shared matching grins for they knew what was about to happen. And when a single spotlight lit up on Cooper, holding a cane and with a hat pulled over his eyes, they exploded into cheers. As Cooper started to speak, the light widened to show Blaine sitting at the table Cooper stood upon, and it was him the boy directed his words to.

_Ma 'chere Mademoiselle,_

_It is with deepest pride, and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight._

_And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner!_ _  
_   
As Cooper spoke the sound of the other Warblers slowly started to feel the room from all sides. He lifted his hat, giving Blaine a cheeky grin as the twins jumped up on either side, and the three began to sing

_Be our guest! Be our guest!_

_Put our service to the test_

_Tie your napkin 'round your neck cherie,_

_And we'll provide the rest_

_Soup du jour_

_Hot hors d'oeuvres_

_Why, we only live to serve_

_Try the grey stuff_

_It's delicious!_

_Don't believe me?_

_Ask the dishes!_

The three danced in perfect harmony on the table in front of Blaine, and it was all he could do not to laugh, especially as the three stacked their hats on top of his head. This entire room filled with light, revealing the rest of the Warblers scattered around the dining room (many of them on tables themselves), and they began dancing as Cooper and the twins sang

_They can sing they, can dance_

_After all, Miss, this is France_

_And a dinner here is never second best_

_Go on, unfold your menu_

_Take a glance and then you'll_

_Be our guest, Oui, our guest, Be our guest!_

The dining room was full of laughter now, many of the younger students seemed to have caught onto what was going on and were relaxing into the sound of the music, swaying along with it as the older ones did.

_Beef ragout, Cheese soufflé, Pie and pudding "en flambe"_

All the Warblers briefly joined in the singing as the twins jumped off the table, leaving Charlie and Julius to climb up in their place on either side of Cooper, and together the three of them sang the next part

_We'll prepare and serve with flair!_ _  
_ _A culinary cabaret_ _  
_ _You're alone_ _  
_ _And you're scared_ _  
_ _But the banquet's all prepared_ _  
_ _No one's gloomy or complaining_ _  
_ _While the flatware's entertaining._ _  
_ _We tell jokes, I do tricks_ _  
_ _With my fellow candlesticks_ _  
_

Julius and Charlie each pulled a couple of small objects from their pockets, and as they sang they threw them into the air, each dissolving into a puff of colored smoke midair. Blaine smiled brightly at the colors, before Trent and Flint took center stage between the tables, and led the Warblers through the next part of the song

_And it's all in perfect taste_ _  
_ _That you can bet_ _  
_ _Come on and lift your glass_ _  
_ _You've won your own free pass to_ _  
_ _Be our guest_

Evan walked past Blaine, giving the younger boy a slight smirk and stealing one of the hats from off his head as he sang the next two lines himself

_If you're stressed_ _  
_ _It's fine dining we suggest_

The twins were back on the table in front of Blaine, only this time they were sitting on it, leaning against each other with over dramatic frowns as they sang the next bit

_Life it so unnerving_

_For a servant who's not serving._

_He's not whole without a soul to wait upon_

_Ahh those good old days when we were useful_

_Suddenly, those good old days are gone._

_Ten years we've been rusting_

_Needing so much more than dusting_

_Needing exercise, a chance to use our skill_

_Most days we just lay around the castle_

_Flabby, fat, and lazy_

_You walked in and oopsie daisy_

The Warblers, who had all draped themselves across various surfaces as the twins sang jumped up suddenly in unison, clearing the middle of the floor for Jeff and Nick, who  took control of the next bit

_It's a guest It's! a guest_ _  
_ _Sakes alive well, I'll be blessed_ _  
_ _Wine's been poured and thank the Lord_ _  
_ _I've had the napkins freshly pressed_ _  
_ _With dessert, she'll want tea_ _  
_ _And my dear that's fine with me._ _  
_ _While the cups do their soft-shoeing_ _  
_ _I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing_ _  
_ _I'll get warm, piping hot_ _  
_ _Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?_ _  
_ _Clean it up!_ _  
_ _We want the company impressed_

Jeff bounced around Nick with far more enthusiasm than his friend, and the entire dining room laughed good-naturedly as Nick rolled his eyes, shoving the taller the boy away from him.

_We've got a lot to do!_ _  
_ _Is it one lump or two?_ _  
_ _For you, our guest!_

Jeff and Nick moved off to the sides, and Connor stepped forward between Wes and Mason. Behind them the rest of the Warblers assembled, and togehter they sang the last of the song

_Be our guest! Be our guest!_ _  
_ _Our command is your request_ _  
_ _It's been years since we've had anybody here_ _  
_ _And we're obsessed!_ _  
_ _With your meal,_ _  
_ _With your ease,_ _  
_ _Yes indeed, we aim to please._ _  
_ _While the candlelight's still glowing_ _  
_ _Let us help you,_ _  
_ _We'll keep going_ _  
_ _Course by course,_ _  
_ _One by one._ _  
_ _'Til you shout "Enough, I'm done!"_ _  
_ _Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest_ _  
_ _Tonight you'll prop your feet up,_ _  
_ _But for now, let's eat up_ _  
_ _Be our guest!_ _  
_ _Be our guest!_ _  
_ _Be our guest!_ _  
_ _Please, be our guest!_

The lights in the dining room shut off as the music stopped, and applause filled the room in an instant. As the lights came back on and the Warblers took their bows the cheers grew. And from his seat at the center table, Blaine was cheering the hardest of all.

The Marauders all saw the bright grin on the younger Anderson’s face and they smiled too, sharing high fives behind their backs. Their goal that night was to make Blaine smile, but in the end they seemed to have gotten him to do far more than just that.

* * *

That night as the moon rose into the sky and quietness fell over Dalton, Blaine found himself curled up on his bed, reading a book he had checked out from the library that afternoon. Across the room on the spare bed was Cooper, his face buried in his math homework as he tried to make sense of the equation laid out in front of him (Seriously, what was with the imaginary numbers?). He was on the first watch of Blaine duty just as the twins promised, an idea Blaine took to surprisingly well, especially after the performance in the dining hall earlier in the evening. Cooper hadn’t seen his brother smile that much since before their mother died.

Even now there was still a small smile on his face as he flipped through the pages of his book, so engrossed in his reading he hardly noticed Cooper starring at him. At least, until his brother started to speak “You seem really happy Blainey.”

“I am.” Blaine replied, laughing quietly even as he said the words. He was happy. For the first time in months there was no fear, no anger, nothing but pure joy coursing through him. He was happy, because for the first time since he left California, he finally felt like he belonged somewhere. “It’s the weirdest feeling Coop, but I feel like I was meant to go here. L-Like I’ve finally returned home.”

“I’m glad you like it here B.” Cooper said, giving the boy a soft smile and a look that reminded Blaine of the one their mother used to give them. “I’m really, really glad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH I'M SORRY  
> I hope this chapter was worth the wait  
> And I'm going to try and update more  
> I'm done with school in January and then I'll have a lot of free time,  
> And there's at least two more chapters I want to upload before Christmas.  
> One will be a pretty short one, it'll run through Blaine's birthday and Halloween and Thanksgiving and stop right before Christmas break  
> And then the other one is probably going to be a mostly Niff chapter, or will at least contain a good amount of Niff in it, and it'll be the Christmas chapter, might carry into New Years it depends.  
> After that we should just have one or two more chapters (I'm going to try and speed things up a bit), before we get to summer and then the start of the new year and the arrival of Kurt, which I know is really what we've all been waiting for. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll be updating soon, and thanks to anyone that is still reading this despite my infrequent updates.  
> And follow me on Tumblr at Potterhead2468 if you want to yell at me for wasting my time and not posting more.


	6. October 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooper absolutely did not forget Blaine's birthday.   
> Well, maybe he slightly did, but he would have remembered.   
> Still, it's a good thing Connor reminded them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At note about this chapter,   
> Reading through Blaine's parts you'll probably notice that he has a stutter.  
> This is because I, upon looking back through the initial planning for this story, realized that originally I had intended for Blaine to have a bit of a stutter. Which is why he was so reluctant to talk to the others.   
> So here's the quick rundown of Blaine's stutter:   
> He was born with it, as long as he can remember he's had a stutter.  
> When he started school, he was put into Speech Therapy classes to learn how to control it, and by the time he was 8, his stutter was basically gone.   
> After Sadie Hawkins, it becomes harder for him to control his stutter because he's always so on edge over everything, he's got a lot of anxiety and so it's hard for him to focus on not having a stutter.   
> It's easier when it's just him and Cooper, because he's always the most relaxed talking to his brother, so it's easier to focus on controlling it.   
> His therapist says that, as of now, Blaine shouldn't focus on fixing his stutter but instead should focus on healing so he can get back to the place where it's easier to control.   
> So that's where we are now. Blaine has a stutter, he tries to control it and won't talk to many people because of it, but it's not the first thing on his list to focus on. 
> 
> Right, I think that's it.   
> Enjoy the story.

The rest of September and much of October passed in a blur. Blaine slowly grew closer to the Marauders, especially to the twins, who were increasingly attached to their Ariel as time passed. Blaine was still having trouble speaking, his words often came out in a rush and jumbled together, and besides around the Marauders he couldn't speak at all. The teachers had learned to adapt to this, and as long as Blaine kept up in his studies, they didn't push the topic.    
  
Blaine's night terrors were still happening, though they soon found out that they didn't happen every night, in fact there had been a solid week Blaine had gone with a single one before they returned in full force for three nights straight. David had been on duty at that time, and though he had no experience with the terrors before, he did an excellent job of soothing Blaine back into sleep by reading out of the Harry Potter book he found on B's desk until the boy was sound asleep.    
  
Cooper, content that his brother was well taken care of by his friends, spent much of his free time with Connor, slowly gaining the trust of the boy and getting him to open up about his past a little, though he still refused to talk about his past. By the beginning of October Cooper had gotten Connor to open up enough that the younger boy would join him and the other Marauders at lunch, and after about week his presence had become so expected that the twins decided it was high time he officially joined the Marauders, and one Saturday evening as they hung around Blaine's room they proudly presented him with his own engraved Nerf gun, before proceeding to attack him the second he took the gun into his hands. The ensuing fight lasted all of about three minutes, until one of the twins accidentally shot Connor in the shoulder where his stealing healing gunshot wound was, and he let out such a startled scream that the entire room froze, and Evan used the time to confiscate all Nerf Guns for the night.   
  
As the end of October drew closer a new franticness took over the school, and especially took over the Warblers, as the school readied itself for the annual fundraising event. It was, Mason explained to Blaine one afternoon as they washed off brushes in the art room in anticipation of the night, the single most important event held at the school each year. It was where all the funding, all the donations and investments made in the school took place. The entire school put on their best behavior to impress the guest who arrived, many of them alumni of the school and all of them incredibly wealthy and important. No one really like the day, Mason added, but it was a necessary evil as the money they raised at the event was one of the main things that kept the school going.    
  
The Warblers were the main entertainment of the event, and so everyone found Wes to be far more on edge than usual. Practice lasted longer in the weeks leading up to the performance, auditions were held for several solo spots throughout the night, Cooper would be singing lead in the group numbers but there were four other solos to hand out and one duet that had Wes stressing until the early hours of the morning as he tried to figure out who would sound the best.    
  
Julius was set to play piano throughout the night, including with the songs, and as if the pressure of the school wasn't enough to make him crack, a week before the event he got a call from his father saying that he would be attending the show. The breakdown Julius suffered afterwards was enough to put Warbler practice on hold for over an hour as Charlie attempted to calm him down, and over the next few days he suffered from approximately 5 more breakdowns, slept exactly 2 hours each night, and spent so much time practicing the piano that even when he wasn't sitting at it his fingers would move against his leg or his desk as if they were the keys. Whenever Charlie noticed he would place his hands over the other Julius's, and hold them their until they stopped moving, and his friend would relax just slightly for a moment, until Charlie would remove his hands and the movement would start again. Needless to say Charlie found himself holding Julius's hands quite a bit in their free time.    
  
Blaine figured telling the others about his birthday was probably not the best idea with tensions so high, and so resolved to let the day past as quietly as possible. Cooper hadn't seemed to remember, so as long as he didn't slip up, the day would go by unnoticed.    
  
Or well, that was his plan anyways.    


* * *

Blaine's birthday was three days before The Event From Hell (as the twins fondly referred to the night as. As expected Cooper hadn't seemed to remembered, he was so busy caught up in Warbler practice that Blaine hadn't hardly even seen him that day except for briefly at breakfast. In fact the only one of the Marauders he had actually seen all day was Connor, who was the only other one not completely overtaken by the franticness of the upcoming night. The two of them spent lunch in Blaine's room watching tv and just talking, getting to know each other a little bit better in a way they never got to when the others were around. Eventually Blaine let it slip that it was his birthday, and startled Connor asked why no one had mentioned it. Blaine shrugged and told him Cooper must have forgotten but it wasn't a big deal. Connor let the subject drop for the time, but when they parted their ways for classes a little while later, he didn't hesitate to send out a mass message to the others concerning the topic.    
  
That's where all of this started.    


* * *

The twins just so happened to have a free period directly after lunch, and so they were heading over to the Warbler Hall when Connor's text came through    
  
**ConFromAcrossThePond- Why has nobody mentioned the fact that it's Blaine's birthday?? Especially you Cooper, he's your little brother. Please tell me somebody has planned a surprise party or something.** **  
**   
"You know James," Josh said to his brother as they read the message, identical grins crossing their faces as they both got the same idea. "I think we're going to have to put off gluing Wes's gavel to the ceiling until tomorrow."    
  
"I couldn't agree more Josh." James smirked, already typing out a mass message to the other Marauders, alerting them to their plan. "We've got something bigger to deal with."    
  
The two of them turned and headed the opposite way towards their dorm to prepare, just as identical messages arrived on the phones of every Marauder besides Blaine   
  
**GredAndForge- Keep Ariel out of the dorms until we say so. Spread the word around the school there's going to be a party, but do not let Ariel or the staff hear. Especially not Windsor.**   
  
They knew if they got caught Dean Windsor would flip her shit over the have a party days from the most important event to be held at Dalton. Not only would she cancel the party, but the twins would probably be barred from performing and they were one of the main acts in the show. Wes would have to scramble for a replacement.    
  
If they pulled it off though, it would be the stress relieving event that all of the boys desperately needed right now. They were all so wound up over Saturday, a good party would be the perfect way for them to forget it all for a few hours.    
  
Besides, they weren't going to get to do a Halloween party this year (Halloween was the day before the Event From Hell), so this could be the perfect opportunity to throw one of those as well.    
**  
** **GredAndForge- Just a question, does Blaine like Halloween?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- He loves it, why?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Excellent. Let everyone know that we are having the Dalton Halloween Party after all this year. Costumes encouraged, but it required.** **  
** **And remember: Not a word of this to Blaine!** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- How do you plan to pull this all off exactly?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Express delivery. And Charlie has agreed to let us use his driver to pick up a few things from town.** **  
** **Including costumes and the cake.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- He doesn't get much use from me during the school year, so it wasn't a big deal.** **  
** **I think he's kind of glad to be able to do something other than sit around waiting for me.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- What about our costumes?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We've got that covered. All of our costumes have been ordered and are either being picked up or flown in.** **  
** **We bought a few extras too in case some people don't have one.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- And you're sure Windsor won't find out?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We were hoping you and Julius could create some diversion for her when the things start arriving.** **  
** **Just keep her off our tail.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- We've got just the things. We've been meaning to try it out for a while.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- What about the rest of us? What should we do?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- You and Wes can help Charlie and Julius run interference with the rest of the staff. Connor and Evan, could you help set up whilst Cooper distracts Blaine and pretends he didn't forget his birthday?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- I didn't forget it.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Sure you didn't.** **  
** **Gift orders for B need to be placed by three if Charlie's driver is picking them up, by one of you're shipping them by express jet.** **  
** **Setup will start at 4, and the party will start at 8 after the staff have all retreated to their rooms.** **  
** **And the party will last until the last person crashes.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- There better not be any alcohol at this party. The Biggest Night Of The Year is three days away and I will not accept a hangover as an excuse for poor performance. ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We want to give everyone a stress relief for Saturday, not make the night more hellish.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- So no alcohol?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge-Promise.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- How am I supposed to distract Blaine from all of this?** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Take him out somewhere. Isn't there something you do every year for his birthday?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Not since our mom died.** **  
** **There was a spot back in California she would always take us to, but it's not like we can exactly get there now.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Why don't you take him out to the city?** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Take him to Lima. There's an amazing coffee shop there, it's called the Lima Bean, it's the best coffee in all of Ohio. ** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- How exactly do you know that?** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Well I did grow up in Ohio. ** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Yeah well forgive us for forgetting that, you know considering the fact that your family is British Royalty and all.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- And you do call soccer football** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- That's because that is what it's called** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Hush British you don't get a say.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Guys, you are not starting this fight again.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- There is still food stuck to the ceiling in the first floor kitchen** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me- Look, the point is the Lima Bean has the best coffee in Ohio and Blaine loves coffee. Take him there, hang for a while and talk, grab something to eat at Breadstix, maybe go see a movie or something, and we'll text you when it's time to go back. Lima is about an hour away, so that'll help with time. ** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- I can't believe I'm taking my brother for coffee on his birthday.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Cooper.** **  
** **Blaine has two obsessions in this life and one of them is coffee. The other one is hair gel.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Also music but he refuses to admit that one.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- It doesn't matter if you're in a coffee shop or a fancy restaurant, what's important is that you're spending time together. Just the two of you.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Yeah I guess you're right...** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- I know I am.** **  
** **My brother and I, we used to have a tradition to sneak out on our birthdays, just the two of us, and hang out for a little while. And no matter what other present I got that day, it could never beat that. Especially as we got older and things started getting more complicated. Sometimes it felt the time we spent with each other alone was the only time the world wasn't falling apart.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- Connor...** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- :(** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- Just take Blaine for the coffee Cooper. Talk to each other. Make sure you know how much you each mean to one another.** **  
** **Because if there's anything I've learned it's that life if fleeting, and you have no idea when is the last time you'll see the ones you love.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Damn I leave for ten minutes and this chat gets deep** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- And that is why you never leave in the midst of a conversation.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Well Julius was about to pass out on desk so somebody had to drag him to the hospital wing so that he would actually sleep and not try to keep practicing.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Speaking of which, I think I need to go slap Wesley because he's starting to hyperventilate about Saturday.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- Again?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan- Yeah. Someone came up and asked him about the set list and he just lost it.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- Me whenever someone asks me what I plan to showcase** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- You still haven't chosen?** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet- NOTHING IS WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE THE CENTERPIECE. IF IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH THE WHOLE THING WILL FAIL** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie- Mason just burst into tears in the middle of class and the teacher is just staring at him with no clue on what to do** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine- I'll be there in a minute.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead- I'm going to go kidnap Blaine from class, you two let us know when it's time to head back.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- I really hope this party idea of yours works.** **  
** **Because I swear everyone is slowly losing it.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- Did any of us ever really have it though?** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond- Before I met you, yes** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge- We've been told we have that effect on people**   


* * *

Wes had been right about the Lima Bean having the best coffee in Ohio. It took Blaine one sip of his medium drip coffee and instantly fell in love. He wound up ordering two more coffees in the two hours he and Cooper sat there, talking about school and the Warblers and all the trouble the twins were bound to cause after Saturday (They had been holding back for almost a week now, when they let go it was bound to be total chaos). Cooper was halfway through explaining the latest crazy drill Wes was putting them through for Saturday (Blaine had been avoiding practices as of late) when Blaine grabbed his arm suddenly, cutting him off as the door opened up and a small group of students stepped into the Lima Bean.    
  
"B? Blainey, what's wrong?" Cooper asked, confused as his brother continued to stare over his shoulder, too stunned to do more then just stare. Cooper twisted around to look, understanding washing over him the second he landed eyes on the group of people Blaine was staring at. Or more particularly, the boy. "Oh I see. Cute boy huh?"   
  
Blaine nodded mutely, still staring at the boy as he talked to his friends, thankfully not noticing the way Blaine so openly stared. Cooper laughed, amused at how struck his brother seemed to be, laughing harder as the boy grabbed his coffee and walked back out the door, and Blaine whined just slightly.    
  
"Oh god Blainey, you have a crush!" Cooper teased, and Blaine fixed him with a hard glare, a light blush on his cheeks. "This is so adorable, your first crush!"   
  
"It's n-not a crush." Blaine said stiffly, busying himself with his coffee as he tried desperately to calm his racing heart, and to stifle the new feelings that threatened to take over him. "He just so happened to b-be cute is all. You can't tell me he didn't l-look perfect."    
  
"Looked a little pale to me, to be honest." Cooper shrugged, nearly spitting out his coffee when Blaine kicked him harshly under the table. "Okay fine, I have to admit he was pretty cute. Though he was wearing a Cheerios uniform, so it's probably a good thing you didn't talk to him."   
  
"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, tilting his head slightly. The name seemed familiar but he couldn't quite place it.    
  
"Everyone knows that the Cheerios are the most ruthless people in the Ohio. Their coach is a literal demon, and most of her cheerleaders aren't any better." Cooper explained, a light blush tinging his cheeks when Blaine raised an eyebrow at him. "What? I like to keep up with the Cheerleading league, there's a lot of hot girls. And the Cheerios just happen to be the best Cheerleading team. Everyone knows about them. They're devils, but damn can they move."    
  
"Gross." Blaine muttered, shaking his head at Cooper who merely rolled his eyes in return, looking unamused.    
  
"My point is, they're all ruthless. And that boy was one of them. No matter how cute he is, he's not worth that." Cooper continued, and Blaine sighed sadly in response.   
  
"You're probably right. Besides, I-I don't even know his name. Even if I-I wanted to chase after him I couldn't." Blaine frowned, drinking the last of his coffee before crushing the cup slightly. "It's best of I just forget about him and move on."   
  
"The good news is that you can stare at him during Cheerios competitions. Most attraction end that way anyways, with you staring but nothing ever happening." Cooper shook his head, standing up as he drank the last of his coffee and motioning for Blaine to do the same. "Come on, let's go see a movie to cheer you up. I'll even let you chose which one."   


* * *

The thing was, even after two months of sharing the same room, Nick still blushed every time Jeff touched him for a second longer than normal, still got butterflies whenever Jeff gave him that smile only a few people got to see, still nearly died every time Jeff would roll his hips the right way, setting every part of Nick's body on fire as he moved and danced. It had been two months in the same room, three years in the same friendship, and still Nick could not get rid of the massive crush he had on his best friend. If anything, the past two months had only served to make his crush worse.    
  
Truthfully Jeff missed most of it. He hardly noticed Nick's blushing, the stares his best friend gave him was normal, and if he noticed the way Nick's breathing hitched when he got close, or how his hands were always sweaty when they touched then Jeff never mentioned it. It wasn't that he didn't know, Nick had told him about his crush when he came out, but for Jeff it wasn't a big deal. If anything he was flattered Nick thought so highly of him.    
  
So Jeff knew about the crush, but that doesn't mean he was always aware of the effects he had on Nick. He could be rather oblivious at times, most of the time really.   
  
Oblivious enough that when he walked out of the bathroom that night wearing his Halloween costume for the party, he didn't even notice the way Nick's jaw physically dropped at the sight of him, and hardly batted an eye as Nick stuttered his way through a compliment on how he liked his costume.    
  
"Come on, let's go show the others and get this party started!" Jeff grinned excitedly, grabbing Nick's hand before the brunette boy could protest and pulled him from the room, bouncing happily down the hall and up the first set of stairs, to where the party had been set up on the second floor.    
  
"Wow." Nick breathed when they reached the second floor, looking around at the incredible decorations that twins had filled the room with. It was creepy, but just the right amount, the perfect Halloween party that absolutely should not have been able to be pulled off in a few hours. "How in the world did they manage this all?"    
  
"We have all sorts of connections." Nick yelped in shock as the twins appeared out of nowhere, wearing matching Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes.   
  
Jeff grinned brightly though, and gestured enthusiastically around the room as he said "This is the most incredible party I've ever seen. I can't wait until it gets into full swing, when is it starting?"    
  
"As soon as the guest of honor arrives." Josh said, as James checked his phone beside him. "They should be here soon, and then we can really get things going."    
  
"I'm going to go get some punch while we wait then." Jeff smiled, nodding goodbye to the twins before skipping off towards the buffet table, leaving Nick to stare after him.    
  
"You know Jeff seems more likely to be the angel out of you two." James commented, smirking slightly when Nick jumped at his words. He had been so concentrated on Jeff, he hardly remembered they were there.    
  
"Well he had a leather jacket." Nick explained weakly, a slight blush on his face as he continued to stare, drinking in the sight of his best friend in the tight jeans and jacket. God he looked so incredibly hot right now. "Besides, him being an angel is a cliche because he is one everyday."    
  
"You have it so bad." The twins laughed together, shaking their head at Nick who was turning increasingly red as he realized just how cheesy his last sentence was.    
  
"Oh shut up." Nick muttered, shoving James lightly into Josh, which only made them both laugh louder as they straightened up again, each of them clapping Nick on one shoulder with a teasing grin.    
  
"It's okay Nicky. We know you just wanted to stare." Nick blushed harder, but didn't try to deny them, though he did duck out of their grasp as Jeff rejoined them, and gladly took the punch his best friend offered.    
  
"Have fun at the party Jeff, Nick." The twins grinned, winking at Nick before they both walked off to greet more guest, leaving behind a flustered Nick and a confused Jeff.    
  
"Did the twins just wink at you?" Jeff asked, causing Nick to groan loudly, and slowly shake his head. "What did I miss while I was gone?"   
  
"You really don't want to know."    


* * *

Charlie and Julius were on lookout duty for Blaine and Cooper, so that when the two brothers arrived they could alert the twins, who would then turn down the music and quiet everyone down a bit so Blaine wouldn't get suspicious. Then they could led him inside and to his bedroom, where a costume would be waiting along with all the presents that got him. After breaking news of the party to Blaine, things upstairs would kick it up a notch again, and the younger Anderson would be allowed to decide if he wanted to join them or not.    
  
So the whole plan basically rested on Charlie and Julius's shoulders, which is why it almost fell apart before it could even start.   
  
Julius had started to freak out once more over Saturday, over his performance and the fact that his dad was coming (The two had an awful relationship, just being around sent Julius into a perpetual state of anxiety that was 100% not healthy). So Julius was freaking out, and Charlie was doing his best to calm him down again, which is why neither of them noticed Blaine and Cooper approaching dorm hall until it was nearly too late.    
  
Charlie wound up jumping off the balcony and sliding down the roof of the porch in order to distract them long enough for Julius to quickly text the twins that they had arrived.    
  
"Charlie what the fuck?!" Cooper scolded, after the shock of the boy appearing in front of them out of no where had worn off just slightly. "Where did you come from?"   
  
"The balcony," Charlie said breathlessly, a slight smile on his face as both Anderson brothers looked upward in shock. Brushing of his costume, a mad scientist, he continues "Might be how I always exit from now on. Quite exciting if not a bit dirty."    
  
Blaine gave him a look that plainly said 'You're crazy', whilst Cooper merely rolled his eyes, looking the boy up and down. "You know, something's missing here."    
  
"Really? I thought I looked pretty nice," Charlie mused, looking down at himself. "Juls said the same thing, we were sure-"   
  
"Ah that's it," Cooper cut him off, grinning slightly when Charlie only blinked back in confusion. "Julius isn't here."    
  
"Wasn't here," Blaine muttered, as the front door of the dorm house flew open and Julius came storming out, wearing a similar outfit to Charlie, looking extremely angry at his best friend.    
  
"What the hell was that?!" Julius demanded, stomping over to Charlie with an angry look on his face, arms crossed as he looked him up and down. "Do you have any idea how much you could have hurt yourself jumping off the roof like that?"    
  
"Juls, I'm fine." Charlie soothed, gently placing a hand and Julius's arm, causing the shorter boy's anger to fade in an instant, replaced only by concern as he flung himself at Charlie, hugging him tightly.    
  
"You could have killed yourself," Julius whispered, tears in his eyes as he squeezed his best friend, as if trying to reassure himself that he was still there. "You scared the shit out of me."    
  
"I'm sorry Juls." Charlie apologized, rubbing Julius's back until the boy pulled away, then he reached up to wipe away the tears he saw running down Julius's cheeks. "I don't think before I act, it's a real problem."    
  
"Don't you ever do that again mister." Julius sniffles slightly, straightening up and trying to muster a stern face, but all he could give was one of pure relief.   
  
"Promise." Charlie assured him, turning back towards the Anderson brothers with a sheepish smile, only to roll his eyes when the two shared knowing smirks. "Don't even start Cooper."    
  
"I didn't say anything." Cooper replied innocently, holding his hands up in defense but his smirk grew slightly. "Though it's funny you immediately jump to that."    
  
"Because all of you always do." Julius said shortly, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms again. "We've told you time and time again that we're just friends but you refuse to accept it."   
  
"Because "just friends" don't look at each like that." Cooper muttered under his breath, quiet enough so only Blaine could hear and his brother hummed in agreement. Anyone you asked would say the same thing, it was a general consensus throughout the Warblers, and even throughout the whole school really that Julius and Charlie were 100%, without a doubt in love with each other. And they just refused to admit it.    
  
But that's a problem for another time.    
  
"Anyways," Charlie said loudly, drawing the attention of the other three boys towards him. "I think we should all be heading inside. I'm sure Blaine wants to rest after his long day."    
  
"L-Like the twins w-will let me rest." Blaine rolled his eyes, following Charlie and Julius inside with his arms crossed slightly. "Th-they're on d-duty tonight, a-and they'll probably h-have a million questions about where w-we were."    
  
"Who says we don't already know Ariel?" The twins said together, appearing out of nowhere on either side of Blaine, making the younger Anderson jump a few inches off the ground in shock.    
  
"W-What the h-hell?" Blaine gasped, his heart slowing back to a normal pace as he realized it was only the twins beside him and not someone looking to attack him. "W-We t-talked about t-this!"    
  
"Sorry Ariel," The twins replied immediately, giving Blaine matching sheepish grins. Blaine sighed, rolling his eyes as if to say he accepted their apology, and the twins let out matching whoops of enthusiasm, attacking Blaine in a hug.    
  
"Come on guys, don't kill the birthday boy." David said, rolling his eyes as he approached the group with Wes in tow. Both of them were wearing Scrubs, which Blaine supposes would be odd in normal circumstances, but nothing at Dalton was particularly normal, so maybe that's why he hardly blinked an eye as they approached.    
  
"Like Blaine isn't enjoying it." Cooper replied, rolling his eyes as he listened to his brother laugh, taking turns shoving one of the twins playfully off of him, only to have them relatch themselves to him as soon as he turned to do the same to the other one. "Look at him, he's having the time of his life."    
  
"What about the other thing though?" Evan asked pointedly, coming up behind the group, adjusting his far too fancy suit jacket as he walked. "I finally got Mason to leave his room, which is a complete mess by the way, paint is everywhere. I feel bad for his roommate honestly."    
  
"You got him to leave?" David asked, his eyes widening in shock as he stared back at Evan. "Dude, he'll hardly even leave for class, what spell did you put on him?"    
  
"He's my brother. I have years of blackmail on him." Evan deadpanned, looking at David as if he had just asked the stupidest question in the world. "It's the same way I get him to do anything."    
  
"D-Doesn't h-he have blackmail o-on you t-too?" Blaine asked, having finally freed himself from the grasp of the twins, both of whom were now pouting slightly.    
  
"Oh yeah totally." Evan replied easily, laughing lightly. "Everything that's happened at Dalton is blackmail enough for a lifetime."    
  
"Isn't it like a rule though that we never tell anyone about what happens at Dalton?" Charlie asked, looking over a Julius for confirmation, and the boy nodded slowly.   
  
"According to the Dalton hand book no boy must ever mention what happens within the walls of the schools to their parents in regards to pranks, parties, or other troublemaking they get up." Wes recited, and only David didn't look at him like he was entirely insane for knowing that word for word.   
  
"He has the entire thing memorized." David muttered, rolling his eyes as Wes smiled smugly in response.    
  
"I read it whilst procrastinating for exams last year." Wes explained when the others just stared questionably at them. "I might have stole one of the perfects copies because I was bored."    
  
"There's so many obscure rules in there it's ridiculous." David added, glaring at Wes when the questioning looks turned towards him. "Wes read it out loud so I know it pretty well too."    
  
"We all know the basic ones like rule number one, "Once a Dalton Boy, Always a Dalton Boy" and of course number 24, "Any students who stay over Thanksgiving will be provided with a giant feast they must eat on the third floor of the dorms"." Wes continued, and the others all shared varying degrees of recognition towards the rules. "But did you know that rules 150 to 168 are just the plan on what to do if there's a zombie apocalypse? And rule 189 just reads "STOP THOMAS", which I assume made more sense when written.  There's also a few rules about how to prepare the castle in case of an invasion, including details on how to activate the moat."    
  
"We have a moat?" Cooper asked surprised, frowning slightly because he was sure he would remember them having a moat. "Where the hell do we have a moat?"    
  
"Apparently it's hidden, but it can be activated in a hidden room, along with several other castle defenses." Wes explained, shrugging slightly. "Though it might be a joke, who knows? This book was written by teenage boys for teenage boys."    
  
"Oh there's definitely a moat." The twins replied cheerily, not bothering to explain how they knew, despite the looks the others gave them. "There's no alligators in their anymore though, but there is fish!"   


* * *

By the time they finally made it back to his room, after a steady five minute debate over why the moat would have fish ("We don't know how they got there, but they've sort of taken over"), Blaine had just about forgotten it was his birthday.   
  
So it was more than a small shock when he swung up his door and saw the quite large pile of presents sitting in the middle of his floor, a banner reading "Happy Birthday Ariel" stretching across the back wall, and more balloons than necessary filling up the room. And in the center of it all was Mason and Connor, both of them grinning as they held out an oversized birthday card for Blaine.    
  
"W-What is g-going on?" Blaine asked after a moment, looking from the presents to Mason and Connor, to back behind him where the others stood, all of them grinning as well. "G-Guys, w-what is all this?"    
  
"Happy Birthday Ariel!" They all shouted at once, and Connor threw a handful of glitter towards Blaine, covering him as well as the rest of his room.    
  
"B-But h-how...?" Blaine trailed off, eyes wide as he looked around the room again, completely overwhelmed in the best way. "Y-You didn't h-have t-to do all this."    
  
"Of course we did." Charlie said easily, walking past Blaine to sit down in the middle of the room near Mason and Connor, the others following behind him.   
  
"You're one of us now Blaine." Wes added sincerely, giving the boy a soft grin.    
  
"Too late to escape the family now." Cooper chuckled, squeezing his brother's shoulder before going to take a seat, leaving only Blaine standing to stare at them, tears slowly filling his eyes.    
  
"Thank you." Blaine said thickly, wiping his eyes before he could cry, and the twins both cooed instantly at how he teared up. Blaine laughed wetly, wiping his eyes again and sniffing slightly. "I-I just, I've never h-had a family b-before, besides C-Cooper, never h-had a home, a-and you g-gave m-me that. T-Thank you."    
  
The twins cooing increased in volume, and they jumped up at the same time, pulling Blaine into a tight hug that only served to make him laugh more, tears openly running down his cheeks now, and he sniffles again just as the twins announce "Group Hug!" And the others stood up to join them. And as Blaine stood there crushed between ten other bodies, he had never felt more at home.    
  
Or more suffocated for that matter. The hug only lasted a few minutes before Blaine had to shove them all away, claiming they were going to kill him if they didn't let him breath. The others laughed, returning to their seats around the present pile, Blaine in the center of them all. And as the party went on upstairs, Blaine began to open his presents.   
  
He truly was the luckiest boy in the world.    


* * *

Blaine wound up opting out of the party ("I have a lot of work to do, and it's been a long day"), but the others went to rejoin it not long after Blaine opened his presents. Mason, who wasn't going to the party anyways, offered to let Blaine come hang with him until the party died down so the others wouldn't worry. What seemed like a good idea at the time ended with Blaine, and by extension most of his homework, covered in paint, as Mason caused a mess trying to create something perfect for the showcase Saturday.   
  
They could hear the party in Mason's room though, and so that's how Blaine and Mason both knew the proper time to sneak out and check on things, as after a few hours the whole room got very quiet before suddenly music blasted through the speakers, and in the middle of the room David and Wes did a near flawless performance of "Guy Love" from Scrubs. Several people recorded the performance (Mason included, who cited it would perfect to play at both of their weddings one day), and by the end of it the whole room was laughing, applauding the pair who gave several bows in response before disappearing back into the crowd.    
  
After that the party started to wind down, everyone had class in the morning and Saturday was just two days away, so most of the boys had left by midnight. Mason crashed around one, and Blaine emerged from his room to help the Marauders clean up.    
  
It was close to three when Blaine made it back to his room, twins in tow, but none of them could sleep so the twins decided to give Blaine one last birthday present.    
  
"It's called Death by Chocolate." James explained, presenting the small cake to Blaine with a bright smile.    
  
Beside him Josh was holding three forks, and he offered one to Blaine, grinning conspiratorially. "We didn't tell the others, so it's just for the three of us."    
  
Blaine took the fork without hesitation, a wide grin onto his face as he dug it into the cake "What they don't know won't hurt them." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure that's the shortest chapter so far, but to be fair I think it's also my shortest time between uploads.   
> This literally should have been uploaded months ago for Halloween, but I'm perpetually late on these things.   
> Costumes in this chapter included:   
> Jeff and Nick as a devil and angel duo (And yes, Nick did choose Jeff's outfit purely to stare at him, but he would never admit that outloud. And, to be fair, Jeff did own a leather jacket already.)  
> Charlie and Julius as a pair of Proper Scientists ft. all the things they should wear whilst doing experiments but never do, including safety goggles, lab coats, and properly pulled back hair.   
> Wes and David as JD and Turk from Scrubs ft. a performance that went viral on YouTube in a matter of hours  
> Josh and James as Thing One and Thing Two ft. them causing far too much chaos for a party that was only about 4 hours long.  
> Evan as the 10th Doctor ft. Cooper as his companion, Rose Tyler.  
> Connor as Oliver Twist   
> And Mason as A Distressed Artist, aka his natural state.
> 
> Next Chapter: The Winter Festival, or as it is generally referred to by the boys, the Dalton Yule Ball. Heavy Niff warning for next chapter, hopefully it'll be up before Christmas but just in case Merry Christmas, or if you don't celebrate Christmas then Happy Holidays, and I hope whatever you're celebrating/not celebrating that you have fun doing it. Let's bring 2016 to a decent close.


	7. I Fell In Love The Way You Fall Asleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." ~Hazel Grace, The Fault In Our Stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just a note about the Yule Ball mentioned before we begin.   
> It's technically name is the Winter's Festival, it takes place on the last day before break and often lasts late into the night. However the boys tend to call it the Yule Ball because of its resemblance to the event.

It was two days before Christmas break when Jeff realized. He was sitting outside with Nick and Trent and Flint under their favorite tree despite the cold. Nick was laughing at something Trent had just said, his head tilted back, his nose red from the cold, snowing dusting his head and shoulders. He was laughing as if it was the best joke in the world Trent had just told and Jeff realized

_'I love you,_ ' It rushed over Jeff like a wave from the ocean, warm and cold all at once, a shock you weren't expecting but knew was coming, like time stopped and sped up all at once. _'I love you. I love you I love you I love you.'_

Jeff blinked slowly, the noise of the world replaced by the pounding of his heart, one that started softly but grew louder, as it was a representation of Jeff's own feelings, until it got so loud it was all Jeff could hear, all he could feel, and it consumed him just as his emotions did and just when he thought it couldn't get any louder–

It stopped. Suddenly and out of nowhere the pounding stopped, the sounds of the world faded back into existence and the only thing Jeff was left feeling was a joy he couldn't quite explain.

He was in love with Nick. He was in love with Nick with every fiber of his being, and if he was right, Nick still liked him too.

Jeff mused over that for a moment, half wanting to lean over and kiss Nick just to see his reaction, wanted to tell him about his newfound discovery at that very instant just to see the surprise on Nick's face.

But Jeff always did have far too much fun teasing Nick. Which is why he decided to not tell him just yet.

In fact, Jeff had a far better idea on how to tell him.

* * *

Jeff waited until he heard the shower turn off before he snuck across the room and into Nick's closet, sliding the door shut quietly. If he knew Nick's routine as well as he thought he did, then the boy should be coming towards his closet shortly to get his Dalton blazer and tie.

Jeff could hardly stifle a giggle when he heard the bathroom door open, anticipation flooding through him as Nick approached the closet, humming Christmas songs to himself as did. Grinning widely, Jeff shifted quietly to make sure his pie was on perfect display, falling still just as the closet door opened.

It took Nick about three seconds to spot Jeff, he was reaching for his tie when he caught sight of him and screamed, jumping back in shock as Jeff bursts for out into laughter.

"What the hell Jeff?!" Nick exclaimed, his heart slowing down to a normal rate as the fear faded, replaced with only a slight anger. Nick stepped back towards Jeff, full and ready to pull him out of the closet and give him a long lecture on scaring the shit out of your best friend when he saw what Jeff was holding and froze. In a slightly shaky voice, Nick asked again "Jeff, what the hell is that?"

"A bie! Bi and Pie put together." Jeff replied happily, pointing to the words on the pie which read 'Surprise I'm Bi!' with a smiley face following it. "The people at the shop couldn't stop giggling as they made it, I thought it was pretty funny too honestly."

Nick stared at Jeff for another second before swallowing harshly, forcing a smile onto his and grabbing Jeff's arm, pulling him softly out of the closet. "Come on, let's talk."

"Hey Nick," Jeff said, biting back a smile as his friend turned to him, continuing with a giggle "I just came out of the closet."

"Jeff," Nick groaned loudly, shoving his best friend who was now laughing so hard he nearly dropped the pie, and Nick had to take it from him quickly before he actually did.

Jeff gave Nick a shit eating grin, taking the pie from him and skipping across the room to place it on the desk. "You want a piece of pie Nicky?"

"Yeah," Nick said softly, walking up behind Jeff and grabbing the knife from his hand, placing it down gently. When Jeff turned to give him a confused look, Nick wrapped him in a hug, whispering in his ear "You know I'm proud of you, right blondie? And thank you for trusting me."

"I trust you with my life Nick." Jeff replied sincerely, squeezing Nick tightly. It would be so easy to tell him now, to pull back and kiss him. If Jeff didn't have such a good plan, he would. But as it was... "Come on, let's have some pie for breakfast."

"That is so not healthy." Nick stated as they pulled away from the hug, but he was grinning anyways, and picked the knife up before Jeff could touch it, reminding him "You are not allowed to have knives, especially not ones this big. You almost cut your finger off last time."

"Because you distracted me!" Jeff cried indignantly, crossing his arms and pouting slightly, which only served to make Nick giggle as he cut the pie, though he didn't deny it. "You burst out into a very good rendition of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas, with spot on notes whilst I was chopping vegetables for dinner, what did you expect me to do?"

"Well I wasn't expecting you to hit the high note and the promptly slice open your finger." Nick retorted, plating two very large slices of blackberry pie and handing one to Jeff before sitting crossed legged in the middle of the floor. Jeff joined him, sitting so that their knees touched, and he grinned slightly when Nick blushed from the contact.

"God, do you remember when we went back after break and I told that one teacher what happened and she refused to let me use even saftey scissors for the rest of the year?" Jeff laughed slightly from the memory, shaking his head fondly. "She was convinced I was going to hurt myself again, I think she thought I did it on purpose."

"Yes I remember, because I was the one that had to cut everything out for you for half a year." Nick replied, poking Jeff lightly with his fork as he added "I was always behind in my work because of you mister."

"It was karma for injuring me." Jeff teased, sticking his tongue out at Nick as if to say 'So there'.

"That was your fault," Nick argued, rolling his eyes.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"It so was Blondie."

“Nope. It was completely your fault Nicky.”

* * *

There was only half a day of school that day, but for Jeff it couldn’t pass fast enough, and he hardly paid attention in any of his classes, spent most of the time staring at the clock and the minute the final bell rang he sprang from his seat, rushing back towards his dorm to make sure the next part of his surprise was ready.

It was hidden in the perfect spot, somewhere Nick hardly checked but Jeff knew he would have to when he packed that afternoon for break. He hid it on top of Nick’s glasses case, hidden in the drawer Nick never opened because he refused to wear them unless he absolutely had to. He said his glasses made him look like a dork, but Jeff thought it made him look like a hot dork.... In retrospect, that should have been his first clue that he liked Nick more than as a friend.

Anyways, Nick never wore his glasses, but he always took them home with him on the off chance he’d run out of contacts or hurt his eye and he had to wear them. And since Jeff also knew that Nick was going to pack after class, Jeff was pretty sure he would find it before the ball that night.

Hopefully.

Jeff really wanted to take him. So this had to work. It had to.

* * *

“Jeff, are you really not going to pack until tomorrow?” Nick asked, frowning down at his nearly packed suitcase. Something was missing, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. He sighed, turning to look back at his best friend, who was splayed casually on his bed reading a magazine. “Don’t you have an early flight to go see your dad tomorrow?”

“It’s at 11, it’s not that early. I’ll have plenty of time to pack.” Jeff replied casually, flipping a page in his magazine, not looking up as he added “You forgot your glasses, by the way.”

“I knew I forgot something.” Nick muttered to himself, snapping his fingers as it dawned on him. Nick took a step towards his desk and then frowned, looking around the room. “Uhh, Jeff, you wouldn’t happen to know where I put them, would you?”

“Bedside table.” Jeff said, rolling his eyes as he continued to read. “You know if you wore them more, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Nick said plainly, pulling open the drawer, about to grab his glasses when he saw something else and froze, picking it up with incredibly shaky hands.

“I’m just saying, they make you look really hot.” Jeff still hadn’t looked up, too focused on his magazine to notice that Nick had found his surprise, at least not until the brunette let out a weird strangled noise that had Jeff snapping his head up suddenly.

“J-Jeff, what it this?” Nick asked nervously, look between the paper in his hand and the blonde boy across the room, who had suddenly gone very still. “J-Jeff?”

“You stole my heart.” Jeff whispered, his eyes wide in fake betrayal. He jumped up suddenly, rushing over to Nick and snatching the paper, a red heart with the word ‘Jeff’ written across it.

Nick stared at Jeff for a moment, a million thoughts rushing through his head as the pieces clicked together and before Nick could stop himself he was launching at Jeff, kissing him with enough force that they both fell over, and the kiss broke as Jeff started to laugh, and above him Nick began to cry.

“You are saying what I think you, aren’t you?” Nick asked, only crying harder as Jeff nodded his head, and Nick leaned down to connect their lips again, this one is a much more passionate kiss that lasted until they were both gasping for air, and Jeff’s face was covered in Nick’s tears that were still streaming from his eyes, though he tried his best to wipe them away when they pulled apart. “I’m such a mess, I’m so sorry Jeff. It’s just, I’ve waited so long for this moment.”

“I know Nicky. You’re not a mess.” Jeff soothed, pulling Nick’s head back down so their foreheads rested against each other, and they were staring into each other's eyes. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to figure it out.”

  
“I’m just so glad you got there.” Nick whispered, burying his face in Jeff’s shoulder so that he could breathe in his scent deeply, trying to memorize every second of this moment. Of this feeling. It felt like, something he couldn’t describe. Like, like that quote from Perks of Being a Wallflower. _‘And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.’_ That’s what this felt like. Nick smiled, murmuring softly to himself “We are infinite.”

“What was that?” Jeff asked, tilting his head as Nick lifted his, but all he got was a head shake and a light kiss in return.

“It was nothing babe. Just thinking.” Nick replied, standing up and holding out a hand to pull Jeff up beside him.

“Babe?” Jeff smirked, making Nick blush bright red as he realized what just slipped out, but before he could defend himself, Jeff cut him off with a kiss, grinning brightly. “Don’t apologize. I like it.”

“Good.” Nick smiled, still blushing slightly as he took a step back from Jeff, picking up the heart that had fallen to the floor and brushing it off softly before handing it back to Jeff. “Here’s your heart back.”

“Keep it.” Jeff replied, closing Nick’s hand over it. “I’m giving you my heart. Just don’t break it, okay?”

“Promise.” Nick nodded, placing it gently down on his bed. A silence fell over them for a moment before nervously Nick asked “D-Does this mean we’re boyfriends?”

“If you want to be.” Jeff said, now looking a bit nervous himself, at least until a wide grin spread on Nick’s face.

“I do. I really, really do.” Nick grinned, not even bothering to try and hide how eager he was. He had been waiting for this moment for years now and he was not about to ruin it now.

“Well boyfriend,” Jeff started, taking a step closer to Nick and bending slightly so that they were looking eye to eye, and with a slight smile Jeff asked “Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?”

The panic on Nick’s face was instant, and Jeff could hardly keep from laughing as his boyfriend's eyes widened to a comically large size. “You mean you want me to go to a dance with you?”

“Yep.” Jeff replied, biting his lip harder as Nick gave out a little whine, clearly not fond of the idea. “It’ll be fun”

“But I can’t dance!” Nick said, as if it was the most serious problem in the world, and Jeff couldn’t stop himself from laughing any longer, pulling Nick into a hug as he shaked in silently laughter.

“You are so adorable.” Jeff giggled, placing light kiss on Nick’s forehead. “No one is going to notice I promise. Most of the boys at this school can’t dance.”

“You can dance though,” Nick reminded him, burying his face in Jeff’s neck, which only served to make his boyfriend laugh even harder in amusement. “What if I’m not good enough to keep up with you?”

“You’ll be fine.” Jeff promised, lifting up Nick’s head as he calmed down some, giving his boyfriend a soft kiss when he saw the very real worry still on his face. “I’ll teach you Nicky. Like how Gabriella taught Troy with that one song.”

  
“Fine. But if the twins come over, you have to deal with them.” Nick relented, causing a big grin to stretch across Jeff’s face, and he kissed Nick again in victory.

“Yes! Go get changed and we can practice our moves.” Jeff pushed Nick towards that bathroom, skipping across the room to his closet, when he was already pulling out clothes.

Nick paused at the bathroom door for a moment to watch him, smiling when Jeff caught him and blew a kiss, before motioning for Nick to head into the bathroom.

As Nick did, he couldn’t help but remember the first time he watched Jeff from the bathroom door.

The only difference was this time, Jeff was his boyfriend.

* * *

In the end the Yule Ball was a mild success. The practice beforehand made it easier for Nick to at least fake it on some of the slower songs, and when the faster ones came on they would retire to their table, to chat and drink punch and just exist.

The twins did corner them eventually, demanding to know what happened between them and why they were acting so lovey dovey. True to his word Jeff was the one to respond, causing Nick to nearly choke on his drink when he said simply “I came out of his closet with a pie.”

The twins were called away for a group dance before they could question it anymore, but Nick had a feeling he’d be bombarded with questions come the new year.

But for now he was safe from them. He had Jeff at his side, talking adamantly about the things he had gotten for his siblings and how excited he was for Christmas, the music was playing softly in the background, and they were there at Dalton. Where nothing bad happened and everyone was accepted, no matter who you were.

And Nick had Jeff.

And in the end, that was really all he needed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my shortest chapter to date, but also arguably my most fluffy one as well.  
> I hoped you enjoyed the Niff, they're definitely going to become a bigger part of the story within in the next couple of chapters, as the befriend Blaine and move into the Marauders circle.   
> Not sure exactly what the next chapter is going to be yet, but it's probably not going to be posted until next year.   
> Until then,   
> Merry Christmas  
> And have a happy New Year too.  
> I'll see you guys, gals, and non-binary pals in 2017.


	8. Eyeliner and Regionals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mason teaches Blaine how to apply makeup.   
> Also, the Warblers are headed to Regionals. But not without a lot of trouble.   
> Trouble such as Julius's dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, in this chapter there's reference to self harm, and past self harm, there's really no details but it is mentioned slightly. 
> 
> On a lighter note, you'll notice in this chapter Julius calling Charlie bear and Charlie calling Julius Robin. This is a reference to Winnie-the-Pooh, which was their favorite show as kids. They're fairly private nicknames, so generally they'll only use them when they're alone.   
> Also should be noted, Julius full name is Aiden Julius Dauer. However he hates being called Aiden as that's what his dad calls him and well, you'll see what his relationship with his dad is like. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy.

Blaine liked to climb on things. Tables, chairs, trees, anything he could climb up and sit on he would. The others found it amusing, how Blaine would stroll into any room and instantly find the highest place possible to perch on. The joke became inside the Marauders that it was because Blaine liked to feel tall, though Charlie once pointed out that it could be Blaine was just a cat in another life. "I mean, my cat climbs onto all sorts of things just like Blaine does, so maybe it's that."    
  
Whatever it was though, it was something Blaine did. First only in the comfort of his dorm, but as time passed he slowly found himself relaxed enough within the Warbler room to start perching on top of the couch instead of on it, or on the middle of the council table as the boys rehearsed. Which gave him the perfect vantage point from which to watch the others and catch the many funny looks the Marauders would throw his way as they tried to make him laugh.    
  
Blaine learned a lot of self control in these meetings.    


* * *

Occasionally sitting on things led Blaine into some curious situations. Like the time he sat on top of the piano in the Warbler room and became Julius's personal page turner for the day. Or the time he almost froze to death after perching himself on the twins window sill in the second floor whilst it was open after a large snow and they pushed him out of the window and into a snow pile below.    
  
Or like right now, when Blaine decided to perch himself on the counter in Mason's bathroom as the older boy did his makeup, and somehow got roped into getting his done as well.   
  
"So h-how did you learn to p-put on makeup?" Blaine asked, staring curiously back at Mason with wide eyes as he carefully applied eyeliner to Blaine's face. "D-did it just come t-to you or...?"    
  
"Well it's sort of like art," Mason explained, smacking away Blaine's hand when he moved to wipe his eyes, trading the eyeliner for eyeshadow as he continued. "Close your eyes. Anyways, makeup is basically art for you face. I learned the basics from watching my mom, but most of it was just experimenting and figuring out what worked and what didn't."   
  
"C-can you t-teach m-me how to do it?" Blaine asked, opening his eyes to see Mason's reaction, only to be commanded to close them again. "Sorry. B-But can you? It l-looks like fun."    
  
"We might have time before practice for me to show you a few things." Mason agreed, smiling for a second when pure joy flashed across Blaine's face before it faded into a more serious look and he continued. "But only if you hold still and let me finish. We're nearly done anyways."    


* * *

Blaine was, as it turns out, basically a natural at doing makeup. Mason wasn't sure how, but somehow Blaine easily caught on to the techniques that had taken him months to master on his own. Blaine was particularly good at doing eyeliner, Mason noted, as he examined the near perfect winged eyeliner Blaine had finally settled on giving him.    
  
His contouring needed some work and his eyeshadow was still pretty simple, but Blaine it was good for his first full makeup look. And Mason really loved the eyeliner. "Seriously Blaine it looks incredible. Either this is a fluke or you've got some serious wing talent."    
  
Mason paused, looking over towards his bedroom door where the other Marauders should have been arriving any minute and grinned, turning back to Blaine who froze the second he saw the look on Mason's face. "How about we put your talent to a little test?"    


* * *

It wasn't a fluke, Mason realized after Blaine applied perfectly identical wings to the eyes of both James and Josh, who were admiring each other appreciatively as Blaine added eyeliner to the other boys.    
  
"You have an eyeliner gift!" Mason declared, shaking his head in slight disbelief as he examined each boy as Blaine finished with them, each one with eyeliner as perfect as the nexts. "Seriously Blaine I don't know how you do it, but I'm impressed."    
  
"It's a sign Blainey. Maybe you should start wearing eyeliner." Cooper teased, poking his brother lightly in the side. Blaine rolled his eyes, turning away from Cooper to face the mirror in front of him, considering himself for a moment.    
  
The makeup looked nice as a whole, he'd admit, but it really wasn't for him. For one thing it took far too long to apply, and for another it would probably attract far more attention than Blaine cared for. They eyeliner though... He might just keep the eyeliner. "D-do you think I-I c-could pull i-it off?"    
  
"Could? Dude you already rock it." Evan said seriously, stepping up beside Blaine to examine his own eyes. "I just look like an emo wannabe."    
  
"That's because of your haircut." Mason quipped, coming up behind his brother to push the fringe out of his face. "If you just let me cut your hair..."    
  
"You are not cutting my hair." Evan snapped, pushing Mason away from before smoothing his hair down again. "If you want to bug someone about their hair, why don't you go bug Julius? At least mine isn't almost a mullet."    
  
"Try to cut Julius's hair and see what happens." Charlie growled, pulling his best friend towards him protectively, causing the shorter boy to stumble into his chest.    
  
"You know my dad is going to make me cut it all off the second he gets his hands on me." Julius said casually, looking up at Charlie with a fond smile as the taller boy pouted, running his hand through Julius long black hair. "He says it makes me look like a hobo."    
  
"But I like it." Charlie protested, still playing with Julius's hair as he spoke, enjoying the feeling of silkiness of it against his fingers. "It gives me something to play with."    
  
"I know," Julius replied, his face softening slightly, and he used his position to hug Charlie for a moment, holding on until he felt his best friend relax again. "But it'll grow out before you know it."   
  
"Why can't you just live with your mom? She wouldn't make you cut it." Charlie asked, still pouting slightly as he untangled his hands from Julius's hair, reaching up to brush a stray piece out of his eyes.    
  
"Because if I lived with my mom I wouldn't be at Dalton and I wouldn't get to see you." Julius replied simply, stepping back from Charlie and straightening up slightly, grinning when the taller boy letting out a quiet 'oh' of realization. "And as much as I love my sisters and my mom, I would much rather prefer to be at Dalton."    
  
"As cute as your sap fest is," Wes interrupted, glancing down at his watch as he talked, then glancing out the window as if he was judging a distance. "We have a Warbler meeting in about three minutes, and we're like halfway across campus from the hall."    
  
"Shit." Cooper muttered, looking down at his own watch before looking up at the others. They all shared a simultaneous look of panic before they all took off out of Mason's room and down the hall, leaving Blaine to trail behind them utterly confused. It wasn't like this was the first time they'd been late to a Warbler meeting, Julius and Charlie especially were often late to meetings because they'd get wrapped up in experiments and lose track of time.   
  
Blaine didn't get time to ask though, for before he could Josh and James were running back towards him, each taking a hand as they dragged him off after the others, and Blaine had to focus all of his energy in not falling as his short legs tried to keep up with their longer ones.    
  
Luckily for Blaine the Marauders had all learned how to read his questions without him having to ask them, and the twins explained quickly as they ran    
  
"It's the last meeting before Regionals."    
  
"Our whole future is basically riding on this."   
  
"Isn't t-that a little d-dramatic?" Blaine asked, stumbling slightly when he looked up at the twins. It was incredibly hard to run when some latched onto each side of you to say the least. Especially when they were much taller.    
  
"Absolutely not." Josh shook his head, slowing down slightly so that Blaine wouldn't fall completely.    
  
"If we get to go to Nationals we don't have to take final exams in our extracurricular classes." James added, sharing a look with his brother before they both simultaneously picked Blaine up, causing the younger boy to let out a small squeak of shock as they took off running down the hallway again, each one of them holding Blaine up by one of his arms.    
  
"And it looks really good on college applications if we place."    
  
"But we mostly do it to get out of exams."    


* * *

Somehow, by some sort of miracle or possibly intervening god, they made it practice on time. The twins were literally sprinting through the door just as the clock struck 6, but they made it.   
  
As soon as the twins put Blaine down he walked away from them, hopping up onto the piano with his arms crossed, glaring at them indignantly for carrying him most of the way. Which of course in turn made the twins frown and the others Marauders laugh, especially Cooper.   
  
"Blaine doesn't like being carried." Cooper said, coming up behind the twins and shaking his head at them in mock disappointment. "Do you Blaine?"    
  
Blaine shook his head, pinching his fingers together like one would to indicate a small amount, frowning slightly.    
  
"It makes him feel small." Cooper translated, and both twins frowned deeper when Blaine nodded at this, pulling his legs up to his chest on top of the piano. "And powerless."    
  
"We're sorry Ariel! We didn't mean to upset you." The twins shouted at once, launching themselves towards Blaine, crushing him in a hug between them. "Please don't be mad at us. We won't do it again."    
  
Blaine tried to wriggle free of their grasp to no avail, so finally he gave in, giving them a somewhat reluctant smile to let them know he had accepted their apology.   
  
"Now that that's over," Wes cut in, his tone stern enough that both twins backed off of Blaine immediately, looking slightly sheepish as they turned back around towards Wes. "We do have practicing to get done. Regionals is tomorrow and the girls at Haverly are working their butts off right now to beat us."    
  
"They destroyed us last year." David agreed, causing several of the boys to wince as they remembered how bad they did at Regionals last year.   
  
"We got our asses handed to us." Charlie grimaced, shaking his head slowly. "Katie wouldn't stop bragging for weeks about it."    
  
"At least you didn't make a bet with her like Wes did with Madeline." Evan replied, laughing slightly at the look of pure regret that passed over Wes's face. "You really rocked that pink hair dude, I mean truly."    
  
"Yeah well it certainly gave some of dad's family a heart attack." Wes replied, the edges of his lips turning up in a smile as he remembered just how shocked they had been at the sight of him strutting into their castle over Spring Break with bright pink hair. "I'm pretty sure my grandfather was ready to disown me. And my aunt gave me a 3 hour lecture on why pink hair was absolutely not the proper color choice of a proper young man. My uncle then gave me a three hour speech in why pink was absolutely the perfect color for a proper young man, and then they had a fight over who was right. My grandmother threatened to dye it back for me, though when I told her it was for a bet she nearly lost it. Apparently betting is also something proper men don't do."    
  
"Wesley I hate to break this to you," David said, grabbing both of Wes's shoulders and staring seriously into his eyes. "But you are never going to be a proper man if you continue your love affair with your gavel."   
  
"Oh fuck off," Wes replied, shoving David away. "Before I hit you upside the head with my gavel."    
  
"Children, Children," Evan interrupted, stepping in between Wes and David as the former raised his gavel threateningly. "Now is not the time for arguing. Now is the time for practicing so that we can all get in bed at a decent time. Regionals is being held at Dalton this year. We're all going to be up early tomorrow making sure the school looks nice, so we need practice to be done early."    
  
"It'll look pretty pathetic too if we loose on our home turf," Mason added, snapping shut his mirror in which he had been fixing his hair, slipping it into his pocket as he stood up. "So we should probably get started."    
  
"Everyone, get into ranks." Wes commanded, hitting his gavel on the desk before setting it down, rushing over to his own position. When everyone was ready he nodded towards Blaine, who had slid down the piano so that he could reach the keys. "Give us the first note Blaine."   
  
Blaine did so, careful to press the right key before turning in his spot, so that he could watch the boys as they ran through their final practice.   


* * *

The Marauders were supposed to be in bed before midnight. To make sure they were all properly rested and ready for tomorrow, Wes had ordered all of the Warblers to bed by then.    
  
That was before Julius got a call at from his father around 11 that night, informing  his son that he would be at the school tomorrow for the competition.   
  
"If you insist upon singing then you better be good at it. I expect you to win whatever this competition is that you're entering." Mr. Dauer had told Julius on the phone, causing the boy to shake slightly where he stood. "And afterwards, Aiden, you and I have something important to discuss."   
  
Julius had quickly hung to the phone after that, sinking down onto Charlie's bed, his entire body shaking after the conversation. Slowly Charlie sat down next to him, pulling the shorter boy into a hug that Julius easily melted into.    
  
"He's going to kill me Charlie. If we don't win he's going to kill me. He's probably going to kill me anyways because I'm not practicing enough, why don't I practice more? Oh god what if he found the thing Charlie? What if he found it and he's coming here to yell at me for it? Oh my god, oh my god Charlie he's going to kill me." Julius rambled, his body tensing as he pulled away from his friend suddenly, standing up so that he could pace the room as he continued on. "He's going to kill me or make me leave Dalton, or or report us to the police, oh god Charlie what if he asks to see our room? I-If he sees our lab, oh god he'd kill me for sure. And what if he talks to the teachers? What if they tell him about all the trouble we got in, what if they tell him about our experiments? This is not good, this is not good at all."    
  
"Julius, Juls calm down." Charlie said firmly, stepping into Julius's path and grabbing the boy firmly by the wrists so he couldn't escape. "You're going to have a panic attack if you don't stop this Julius. You need to breathe okay? Come on, match your breaths with mine okay?"    
  
Charlie stared evenly into Julius's eyes as he spoke, moving his hands to rest on either of the boy's shoulders, massaging them gently in an attempt to release some of the tension in his shoulders. "It's going to be okay Juls, okay? You're going to be okay. We are going to win tomorrow, I promise. We're ready. Our set is sound, there is no way we can lose."    
  
Charlie spoke softly, tucking a loose piece of hair behind Julius's ear, resting his hand gently on Julius's cheek. "Your dad isn't going to take you away. If he tries he'll have to go through all of us, especially me. I will fight if he even tries to touch you, and I'll be at your side the whole time, okay? No matter what happens, I'll be there to keep you steady alright?"   
  
Charlie moved to grab Julius's hands, pulling him gently back towards his bed. Charlie climbed into the bed first, holding up the covers so that Julius could follow him. After a moment's hesitation Julius did, laying his head on Charlie's chest as the older boy wrapped his arms around him firmly.    
  
"It's going to be okay Juls, we're going to be okay." Charlie soothed, rubbing small circles on Julius's back with one hand, using his other hand to play with his hair. Julius sighed, relaxing against Charlie, trying to clear his mind of anything other than his best friends heartbeat, and the words he softly spoke to him. "You and I will always be okay."    
  
"I'm sorry Charlie," Julius murmured, cuddling closer to the auburn haired man, yawning softly. "For freaking out again."    
  
"Shh, it's okay," Charlie replied, pressing a light kiss to Julius's head. "I've freaked out on you plenty of times, I think we're even."    
  
Julius laughed quietly, yawning a second time, his eyes slowly drifting close. "You really think we'll win?"    
  
"Positive." Charlie affirmed, pulling Julius closer so that he could rest his chin gently against the top of the boy's head. "We're the Warblers. We can do anything."    
  
"Mhm," Julius agreed, yawning for a third time as his eyes drifted open and then closed again. "Will you sing to me bear?"   
  
"Our song?" Charlie asked, a light smile on his face as Julius sleepily nodded in response.    
  
_ I walked across an empty land _ _   
_ _ I knew the pathway like the back of my hand _ _   
_ _ I felt the earth beneath my feet _ _   
_ _ Sat by the river, and it made me complete _   
  
And Julius smiled sleepily as the sound of Charlie's voice slowly lulled him into sleep, his eyes closing longer and longer until they would no longer open.   
  
_ This could be the end of everything _ _   
_ _ So why don't we go _ _   
_ _ Somewhere only we know _ _   
_ _ Somewhere only we know _ _   
_ _ Somewhere only we know? _   
  
Charlie smiled softly down at Julius as his song came to an end, kissing the top of his head gently, careful not to wake him up. "Goodnight Robin."    


* * *

Charlie waited until he was sure Julius was asleep before shifting them both slightly towards the edge of the bed, just close enough so that he could grab his phone, and send out an alert to all of the Marauders.    
  
**ExplodingCharlie: Julius's dad just called.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Uh-Oh.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: He told Julius he was going to be coming to the competition tomorrow.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Shit.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: And he said he expects us to win.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: Well we have a pretty good chance. ** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: That's not the worst part though.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: What could be worse than be visited by the literal devil himself?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: He told Julius he has something important to talk to him about him.** **  
** **Something life changing.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Fuck.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Good life changing or bad life changing?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: He didn't say.** **  
** **But knowing him, it's probably bad life changing.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Everything about that man is bad. When has he ever once come here on a pleasant visit?** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: When has Julius ever said anything pleasant about/to him?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: So we're assuming bad news?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Yes.** **  
** **Or at least Julius is.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: Shit is he okay? ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Do we need to come over? We can literally be there in a few seconds.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: NO!** **  
** **Sorry it's just, Julius is asleep. I don't want you to wake him up.** **  
** **He's really freaking out about his dad coming and I just got him to sleep,** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: He's sleeping?** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: I don't believe it. ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Not at this hour.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: You two are always awake all night.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: You know if you wanted a picture you could ask.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: We do.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Please.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: image attached** **  
** **Happy now?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Very.** **  
** **This is going with the others.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: The others?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Yeah, the others.** **  
** **As in the thousands of others photos we've all shared on the flash drive entitled "Proof Julius and Charlie were dating before they realized it"** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: It's an extensive collection.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: You're hopeless.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: What the bloody hell are you all on about at this time of night?** **  
** **My phone will not stop going off and I am trying to sleep.** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: The boys have a blackmail folder for Julius and Charlie.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: I wouldn't say it's a blackmail folder.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Oh it totally is.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: It's more like a folder that we can one day shove in their faces and say "We told you so"** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Or alternatively we could shove it in their faces now and yell "WHY CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU."** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Can we get back to the problem at hand?** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: That wasn't it?** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: Could you maybe explain for those of us who are clearly missing something?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Julius is having Daddy issues.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Okay first off never say that again.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: We promise nothing.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: ANYWAY** **  
** **Julius's dad is coming to watch our competition, which wouldn't be a problem except that Julius has a horrible relationship with his father.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: His father is literally Satan.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Yes.** **  
** **So Julius is of course freaking out over him coming, plus the fact that his dad also told him he needed talk.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: Uh-Oh. Saying you "need to talk" is never a good sign.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: No it's not. Which is why Julius freaked out so much. And why he's going to be on edge tomorrow.** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: So what are you going to do?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Try like hell to keep Julius calm.** **  
** **I know a few techniques, like playing with his hair and singing but that will only last so long.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Do you want some back up?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: No. It'll be easier to keep Juls calm of we're alone. The extra people will only freak him out more.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Is there any way we can help?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Yeah actually there is one thing** **  
** **Julius is afraid his dad is going to come up to our room and freak out when he sees it.** **  
** **Is there anyway we could borrow one of your rooms should that happen?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: You can use our room.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: We just cleaned it last weekend, and it doesn't even smell bad. ** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: And our desks are both nicely organized and covered in school things.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Nerds.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: Just because we have ambitions and you two plan to do nothing with your life. ** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: For now.** **  
** **We might decide on something later.** **  
** **We have time.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Is there anything else you two need Charlie?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: For all of you to be on your best behavior.** **  
** **That means absolutely no pranks, no teasing, no nothing.** **  
** **And absolutely no mention of any of our experiments.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: What about the teachers? Won't they say something about it if Mr. Dauer asks?** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Most teachers are actually pretty understanding about students not wanting their parents to know everything.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: They know a lot of parents aren't the best.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: And they've dealt with Mr. Dauer a few times now.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: We'll deal with the teachers though.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: That sounded sinister.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Thank you.** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: What are we going to do if Julius gets bad news though?** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: I don't know.** **  
** **But whatever news he gets I'm going to be there for him.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: We all will.** **  
** **For both of you.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Thank you guys.** **  
** **Sorry for keeping you up.** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: I'm just glad you broke Wes and David out of a two hour fight over what was the best Harry Potter book.** **  
** **  
** **Gavel &Me: It's obviously The Half Blood Prince. ** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: No way, the Deathly Hallows is way better.** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: Never mind.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: What happened?** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: They're shouting quotes at each other now.** **  
** **They're each holding a book and shouting lines to prove their point.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Do you need some help?** **  
** **  
** **TheLittleMerBlaine: Possibly.** **  
** **It's a very heated argument.** **  
** **Hold on, just give me a second.** **  
** ****

* * *

**WarblerLead: Blaine?**   
****

* * *

**WarblerLead: Blaine are you okay?** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: It's been a while, should we check on them?** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: I'm the closest, I could go.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: No need.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: David?** **  
** **What happened, is Blaine alright?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Yeah, yeah he's fine.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Then why hasn't he responded yet?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: He just had a slight panic attack.** **  
** **He's with Jeff and Nick now.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: With who?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: You know, Niff from the Warblers?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Why is Blaine with them?** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: And why did he have a panic attack?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Well, it was less like a panic attack and more like a sort of flashback I guess?** **  
** **Wes accidentally cut himself when he knocked over a picture frame on Blaine's desk.** **  
** **Blaine saw the blood and sort of... freaked out.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Is he okay?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Yeah yeah, Blaine's fine. Jeff and Nick were there and they managed to calm him down, took him to their room so he was away from the sight and smell.** **  
** **Apparently Jeff isn't fond of blood either so him and Blaine were bonding over that when I checked on them. And I think Nick said something about them watching a movie to calm down??** **  
** **I'm not really sure, I had to rush Wes to the hospital wing because he has a huge ass gash in his hand.** **  
** **Ms. C is looking at it now.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: I'm confused though,** **  
** **Why were Nick and Jeff there in the first place?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: They're in the room next to Blaine.** **  
** **And apparently they heard us fighting and decided to see what was going on** **  
** **When Blaine texted you last they had just arrived in the room.** **  
** **(FYI, apparently they know Blaine from class and like they're actually kind of good friends? Like Blaine wasn't really talking to them but he looked comfortable around them).** **  
** **Anyways Wes smashed his hand into the picture frame, smashing it and causing himself to get a few cuts, including a particularly bad one on the palm of his hand.** **  
** **Blaine freaked out at the sight of the blood and so Nick lead him, and Jeff, out of his dorm and over to their room.** **  
** **Wes and I went to the bathroom to clean up his hand and see if we could stop the bleeding, but when I realized we couldn't I wrapped a towel around his hand and we went off to the infirmary.** **  
** **I stopped by to check on Blaine before we left and he seemed to be doing pretty okay with Nick and Jeff, and he did give me a half smile before I left.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Nick says that Blaine left his phone in his room.** **  
** **But he also said that Blaine is fine and that he's safe with them.** **  
** **Jeff has apparently introduced him to competitive cooking shows, and they are now yelling at the tv together.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: But Blaine is fine, right? He's not freaking out or anything like that?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: He's perfectly fine.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: David, how's Wes?** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Well the cut's deep enough to need stitches.** **  
** **So I guess I'm going to be driving him out to the hospital tonight.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: This night keeps getting worse and worse.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Tell me about it.** **  
** **I'll text you when we get to the hospital.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Keep us updated.** **  
** **  
** **MinuteMan: Will do.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: So now that Wes is taken care of, what are we going to do about Blaine?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: We've got him.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: You have him?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Nick texted us just a minute okay and said Blaine had fallen asleep, so we're on our way to get him now.** **  
** **We're going to take him back to our room because his still has all the blood in it.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Someone's going to have to clean that up tomorrow.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: We should make Wes do it considering it's his blood.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Yeah but Wes and David are both going to need to crash when they get back so they're ready for the performance.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: I can do it.** **  
** **I have pretty good experience on how to get blood out of anything.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Well I'm going to pretend like that is a totally normal thing to say** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: In my family it is.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: ????** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: Don't ask. I am legally not allowed to talk about most of my families past or what's happened.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Your family scares the hell out of me.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: They should.** **  
** **I can clean up the blood though and that's all that matters.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Yeah let's just leave it at that and move on.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: J & J, have you got Blaine back yet?** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Image Sent** **  
** **He didn't even stir when Josh picked him up.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: He's probably exhausted.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Well I think Blaine has the right idea. We should all be getting to bed if we want to be our best for tomorrow.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: J & J keep us posted on Blaine. And Charlie keep us posted on Julius. ** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Will do.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: And let us know if you need any help.** **  
** **  
** **ExplodingCharlie: I will.** **  
** **Goodnight boys.** **  
** **  
** **ConFromAcrossThePond: Night.** **  
** **  
** **WarblerLead: Sleep tight.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Dream of winning tomorrow.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Technically we want to win today.** **  
** **  
** **KeepYouInLine: Whatever.** **  
** **  
** **GredAndForge: Night losers.** **  
** **  
** **BestArtistYoullMeet: Goodnight.**   


* * *

It was bad morning.    
  
Julius had been woken up at 5am with a text from his dad saying he'd be at the school by 8, and woke up Charlie in the process of having another panic attack over not being ready soon enough.    
  
Then at breakfast Julius could hardly eat anything from the nerves of seeing his father, and promptly threw up what he did eat not long afterwards.    
  
Wes and David were still at the hospital in Columbus waiting for Wes to get his stitches as of 7am, and had no idea when they would get back, and if they'd be there in time for the performance at 11.   
  
Blaine had had another night terror around 3am that was a lot harder for the twins to calm him down from than usual because he was in an unfamiliar environment, and so none of them had gotten back to sleep since then.    
  
Mason had taken Connor to get coffee from the Lima Bean on hopes of lifting the boy's spirits and had nearly gotten into an accident just a few blocks after leaving the schools (They were fine, thankfully. Mason managed to stop in time but still...)   
  
Mr. Dauer arrived promptly at 8 and immediately started scolding Julius for his messy hair and bad posture and messy clothes, and Charlie had to quickly pull Julius away under the pretense of practice before the shorter boy could start crying in front of his father. Julius then spent the next minute crying in the bathroom off the auditorium before throwing up a second time from crying too much.    
  
Evan and Cooper were busy making sure everything on the stage was set up around 9 when Evan tripped and hit his wrist in the edge of the risers, bruising it  pretty badly so that he now had a bag of ice tied around it, which was slowly getting his uniform wet as it melted.    
  
To make matters worse by 10am the competition had started to arrive and not only did they look much more put together, but as the twins informed the boys when they spied on them, they both also sounded incredibly good.   
  
The entirety of the Warblers had dissolved into chaos by 10:30. Julius had just thrown up for the third time out of nerves and was now laying across a couch in the practice room trying to stay calm. Charlie was beside him furiously snapping the rubber band he had put on his wrist to distract him, his eyes darting towards the door every couple of seconds as if he was contemplating leaving. Jeff was going over the choreography again and again with Nick, who seemed to be getting worse thanks to his own nerves. Evan was still holding ice to his wrist as Mason checked him out, wincing every so often when he moved his wrist too far. Cooper was on the phone with Columbus hospital, trying to convince the nurse to just stitch Wes up already so that he could make it back for the competition. Connor was sitting on one of the couches with his eyes closed, whispering something under his breath that the others couldn't catch but sounded a bit like a prayer. And the twins were running around from group to group of people, having drank far too many coffees to keep them awake and now they were trying to make sure that everyone was okay.    
  
Blaine was, funnily enough, the only one who seemed to be keeping his cool in this situation. He was seated on top of the council table, absently tossing Wes's gavel from hand to hand as he watched the chaos around him, for once not bothered by the noise of all the boys speaking at once.    
  
Maybe it was because he wasn't performing, it maybe it had something to do with the lack of sleep mixed with the best coffee in the world, Blaine was for once not feeling that anxious. He almost felt like his old self again. The one that hadn't been afraid to take charge.    
  
So that's what he decided to do.    
  
Thrice he banged the gavel on the desk, wincing slightly from the sound but it had the desired effect nonetheless. The room fell silent and all eyes turned towards Blaine, who froze for a moment in sheer terror before clearing his throat, and here he began to speak "W-Warblers, you n-need to calm down. All of this f-freaking out, all of this panicking, it's only going to h-hurt your c-chances at winning."    
  
All eyes really were on Blaine now, and Cooper smiled proudly at him, motioning for his brother to speak up when Blaine caught his eye. Blaine nodded slightly, standing up as he continued, raising his voice as he raised his body. "Y-You boys are brilliant. A-and your set is incredible. Y-you can win this, b-but only if you focus. Y-you have t-to stop panicking, stop freaking out, a-and do what you do best. T-Together."    
  
The others were smiling up at Blaine now. Julius had pushed himself into a sitting position as he listened to Blaine speak, and Connor opened his eyes for the first time in nearly an hour. The twins had fallen still and everyone, everyone, was listening as Blaine went on. "Y-You're the Warblers for c-crying out loud. Y-You're rockstars. S-So go on t-that stage and prove it. S-Show the other t-teams what you've really got. F-First place is ours. G-Go and get it."    
  
The Warblers let out a simultaneous cheer at Blaine's words, all of them feeling much better than they had a few minutes ago. Blaine smiled, hopping down off the table as a new sort of chaos filled the rooms, and the boys started splitting into groups to work on parts of the song. Cooper pulled Blaine into a hug as soon as he came now, pride radiating off of him as he did.    
  
"That was incredible Blainey," Cooper praised, causing his brother to blush lightly in response, ducking his head in embarrassment. "You did good kid."   
  
"T-they just n-needed someone to lead them. A-and Wes wasn't here so..." Blaine trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. "I-It would h-have been better if I d-didn't stutter."    
  
"It was perfect," Cooper promises, squeezing Blaine's shoulders tightly. "You've inspired them. Gave them their hope back."    
  
"I-I..." Blaine started to argue, but couldn't find the words to prove Cooper wrong, especially when his brother was beaming so proudly at him. "I g-guess I d-did."   
  
"You did." Cooper confirmed, squeezing Blaine's shoulder once more. "I'm proud of you squirt."    
  
Blaine smiled despite the nickname, his eyes following Cooper as the old boy joined the other Warblers, who seemed to be getting into position to practice.    
  
"Come join us Ariel," Josh yelled suddenly, startling Blaine, who blinked at him slowly in shock and confusion.    
  
"Yeah Ariel, come sing with us." James agreed, beckoning Blaine towards them. But Blaine had realized what was going on and was now backing away from the group slowly.   
  
"N-No, absolutely n-not." Blaine protested, shaking his head firmly. "I-I d-don't know t-the songs."    
  
"Yes you do." Jeff put in, a bright smile on his face as he glanced from Nick to Blaine. "We've heard you singing them in the shower before."    
  
"You're really good," Nick added, hoping to sooth Blaine's nerves more with the praise. "And you know all the notes perfectly."    
  
"You're a part of us now Blaine," Cooper said softly, holding his hand out towards Blaine, beckoning his brother to take it. "You can do it."    
  
Blaine took a few hesitant steps towards Cooper, still unsure if he should really join them or not, but finding it harder and harder to resist.    
  
And then the chanting started "Blaine. Blaine. Blaine." Quietly at first, but then it grew in volume until it filled the whole room and all Blaine was aware was the group of people cheering him.   
  
'They want me to join them,' he realized, as he stared up at the Warblers in slight awe. 'Most of them have never heard me sing but still they want me with them.'   
  
Very slowly Blaine reached out and took Cooper's hand, allowing his brother to pull him up the the risers beside him.    
  
"J-Just for p-practice." Blaine agreed, blushing as the twins instantly hugged him from behind, and the others cheered happily.    
  
Things were finally, finally starting to look up.    


* * *

Charlie was distracted. Julius could see it in his eyes, in the way he shifted every few seconds in his seat as they waited for the first performance (The Warblers had drawn the last spot, their first bit of luck all day), but mostly Julius could see it in the way he continuously snapped the rubber band on his arm, and the way he absolutely refused to look at Julius even when his friend softly called his name. It wasn't until Julius placed his hand of Charlie's wrist, stopping him from snapping the rubber band again that he finally looked up at Julius.   
  
"You're making yourself bleed." Julius said to Charlie, speaking so only his friend could hear him as he pulled off the rubber band and stuffed it in his pocket. "Come on, we need to go wash this off before you stain your uniform."   
  
Julius stood up, grabbing Charlie's hand gently so that he could lead the other boy, pass the others who sent questioning looks but didn't try to stop them from leaving.    
  
"Let me see your wrist," Julius commanded when they reached the bathroom, taking it carefully when Charlie offered it to him, grabbing a few wet paper towels to clean off the fresh blood. "You're going to have a nasty bruise there, but other than that it's not so bad."   
  
Julius examined Charlie's wrist a moment longer, but the bleeding already seemed to be stopping and beside the bruise the damage wasn't too bad. It could have been worse. It had been worse before.    
  
Charlie stared at the ground as Julius examined his wrist, not wanting to look up and see the inevitable disappointment his best friend was surely feeling, and not wanting Julius either to see the shame that he was feeling. Quietly Charlie mumbled "Sorry Robin."   
  
Julius paused, blinking at Charlie slowly as the words hit him and it slowly dawned on him. Charlie was waiting for a negative reaction. "Bear, I'm not mad at you."    
  
"But you're disappointed that I did it again." Charlie's frowned, looking at Julius through his eyelashes. "I can see it on your face."    
  
"I'm disappointed you resorted to hurting yourself instead of talking to me yes," Julius allowed, and Charlie nodded slowly, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. He started to apologize again, but before he could Julius was kissing the bruise on his wrist, and continuing in a soft voice. "I know it's not easy for you bear. You've been through a lot and it's hard to break habits you've had so long. But you're making progress and I'm proud of you for that. Just don't let it all slip away, okay?"    
  
"Sorry" Charlie mumbled again, dropping his gaze to the floor again so Julius wouldn't see the rush of emotions passing over his face. He hated disappointing Julius, his best friend, the person's who opinion mattered most to him. Julius was he reason he was getting better, and he hated the sad look he'd always give him the minute he noticed Charlie had slipped up and done it again.   
  
"Hey, Charlie, come on look at me." Julius coaxed, smiling softly when Charlie lifted his head again, reaching out to rest his hand gently against Charlie's cheek. "It's going to be okay bear. Just talk to me next time, will you? Tell me what's going on."    
  
"I just didn't want to bother you Robin. You were dealing with so much today, with your father and Regionals, I didn't want to bug you." Charlie admitted, closing his eyes as Julius gently stroked his cheek, letting the feeling slowly fill him, calming him from the inside out. "I thought I would be okay with the rubber band but then it wasn't enough and..."    
  
"I would drop anything to help you Charlie," Julius said, staring evenly into Charlie's eyes, trying to convince the boy of the conviction behind his words. "And you will never bother me. You're my best friend, and I would walk to the ends of the earth if it helped you get better, stopped any more of these scars from appearing."    
  
Julius gestured lightly towards Charlie's arms, his eyes never leaving the other boy's face, watching as a watery smile crossed Charlie's face, and the taller boy pulled him into a hug, leaning slightly so that he could bury his face in Julius's neck.    
  
"Thank you," Charlie mumbled, breathing in the scent of his best friend, allowing the comforting familiarness of it calm him slow. "Love you Robin."    
  
"I love you too bear." Julius replied,  squeezing Charlie tightly before they both let go, taking a small step away from each other at the same time. "Do you feel any better now? Are you going to be okay to perform or do we need to step down?"   
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Charlie promised, giving Julius a half smile that the other boy reflected almost instantly. "Besides, you have to perform for your Dad. And we have to win or I'll have to kill Katie from how insufferable she'll be."    
  
"The Unitards could win Charlie, you never know." Julius teased, linking his hand with Charlie's as they walked out of the bathroom, heading for behind the stage rather than the auditorium, as it was nearing time for them to gather to go on.    
  
"Juls, the Unitards have never made it past Regionals. They usually can't even make it pass Sectionals." Charlie deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at his best friend, who simply shrugged in response.   
  
"They could do better this year," Julius replied, though the grin on his face told Charlie he hardly believed that for a second. "Yeah okay you're right, it's probably just between us and Haverly."    
  
"Which is why we have to win." Charlie said, walking into the empty green room after Julius and pushing the door shut behind them, flicking the light on as they passed it. "I refuse to lose to them a second time."   
  
"Yeah well my dad might kill me if we don't win so," Julius sighed heavily, flopping down on in the couches and burying his face in the cushions, to muffle the scream he released a second later.    
  
Charlie watched, waiting until Julius finished screaming before nudging him gently in the side to get him to move. Julius obliged by rolling over and lifting his head so Charlie could sit before resting it again in his lap. They stared at each other for a moment, until Charlie thread his fingers through Julius's hair and Julius let his eyes slowly shut, soaking up the feeling of calm that came along with.    
  
"After today is over," Charlie said after a moment, waiting until Julius hummed lazily to assure his friend he wasn't asleep to continue. "You and I are going to sneak some giant sundaes from the kitchen and we're going to binge watch Supernatural."    
  
"Mhm, but if we win you know the others will want to celebrate." Julius pointed out, opening his eyes just enough so that he could see Charlie, smiling slightly at him.    
  
"They'll understand if you want to be alone though. They know how draining your father is." Charlie pointed out, and Julius scoffed slightly, rolling his eyes at the mention of his dad.   
  
"Draining does not begin to describe him." Julius muttered, a deep frown on his face as he spoke. Charlie hummed sympathetically, but said nothing, knowing that Julius was not yet done talking. And after a moment Julius laughed bitterly, groaning loudly as he sat up suddenly, covering his face with his hands. "God I hate him so much Charlie."    
  
"I know Juls," Charlie soothed, rubbing Julius back softly. "I know. But he's only going to be here for a few more hours, just a few hours and then he'll be gone and you won't see him until summer. Until then, you've got me. And as long as I'm here, nothing can touch you."    
  
"What did I do to deserve you?" Julius asked, grinning lightly as he lifted his head, leaning back against Charlie enough so that he could see his best friends face.    
  
"You saved my life." Charlie replied simply, his blue eyes shining as he stared back at Julius, a soft smile on his face. "You saved me, and now it is my turn to protect you. It's what we do."    
  
"We take care of each other." Julius agreed, leaning in to kiss Charlie gently on the cheek. "When there is no one else there will always be Charlie and Julius."    
  
"Always."   


* * *

Julius was laying with his head in Charlie's lap again, his eyes closed as his friend played with his hair, the two of them chatting quietly when the Warblers came rushing into the green room not too long later.    
  
Or well, he was laying like that when the twins arrived. Julius's eyes opened the second he heard the tell tale sign of a picture being taken, and by the time the others arrived he was already sitting up, flipping off the twins who were coping about how "this made for a perfect addition to their collection" (Charlie had filled Julius in about that. He wishes he could say it was the weirdest thing their friends had done).    
  
Before the twins got a chance, though, to share their newest photo with the others Blaine was banging Wes's gavel (which he had carried with him in case Wes made it back) on one of the tables, and once all eyes were looking his direction Cooper stepped up beside his brother, and started to address the crowd of Warblers.    
  
"Okay guys, this is it. In ten minutes we will be out on that stage dancing and singing as if our lives depend on it. We can win. Haverly was good, I won't lie, but they weren't perfect. They're not unbeatable. We can do this." Cooper all but yelled, and the Warblers yelled together in collective agreement, and soon they were all telling their own encouragements over one another, hugging and high fiving each other for good luck.   
  
It was this chaos that Wes and David walked in on, both of them looking completely exhausted. Wes's had was stitched and wrapped, and though the doctor had numbed it when he put the stitches in, the pain was starting to return now and every movement caused him a little shot of pain through his hand. They had given him pain medicine, but Wes refused to take any until after they performed, because they had no idea idea how it would effect him and Wes would be damned if he wasn't performing with his boys.    
  
So Wes was in a bit of pain as he and David made his way over to Blaine, who was sitting crossed legged on top of the table holding Wes's gavel, the two of them unnoticed in the chaos that filled the room.    
  
Unnoticed, that was, until Wes took the gavel from Blaine with his good hand, and hit it down on the table with only the force Wes could give it.    
  
"What do you boys think you're doing?" Wes demanded, crossing his arms the best he could as he looked over the crowd of Warblers, all who had fallen silent and were now staring at him like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "We go on stage in seven minutes! Have you even warmed up yet?"    
  
A collective mumble of no resounded from the group, and several of the boys hung their heads in shame, various degrees of guilt covering the faces of those who were still looking at Wes, who looked exasperated and maybe slightly annoyed, but if you looked close enough you could also see the underlying affection there. The Warblers were a mess, but they were his mess.    
  
"We're going to have to rush a little bit, but we should be able to do it. Julius, piano. Boys, formation now." The boys quickly scrambled to follow Wes's orders, assembling themselves into position in under a minute. Anyone else wouldn't've gotten such a quick reaction from the boys, but then Wes had been elected leader of the Council for no reason. He had an incredible knack for keeping people in line. "We need to get through these warm ups as fast as possible so no funny business. Yes I'm looking at you Evans's, get over it. You know exactly how much trouble you are."    
  
The twins beamed back proudly at Wes, for he was right that they how much trouble they were. They knew, and they were very proud of it, thank you very much. Wes shook his head exasperatedly at them, giving them one final glare before he walked over to join the boys. Leaving Blaine alone to sit on his table at watch them all warm up.    
  
Which lasted about two seconds before Mason walked over and grabbed his hand, dragging Blaine over to the group of singing boys, all who were watching with various levels of amusement as Blaine tried his best to fight against Mason's tugging.    
  
Which was going pretty well until Evan stepped out to help pull Blaine over too, and the youngest Anderson soon found himself stuck between the two Taylor brothers, each of them holding on to his arm to keep him in place, encouraging him to sing along with them.    
  
And so, a little reluctantly, Blaine opened his mouth and began to warm up beside the boys. All he could think of was that if maybe he played his cards right, he could escape before they made it onto the stage.    
  
Blaine wasn't wasn't holding out much hope though. After all, the Warblers were nothing if not stubborn.    


* * *

The rush to the stage was an interesting one. For one thing they didn't have exactly a lot of time to get there to begin with. And though there wasn't far to go, pre-show jitters were hitting several of the boys full force so that even once they made it to the edge of the stage they still were not ready to go on as they tried to quickly calm themselves down (Julius and Charlie were both freaking out and trying to calm down the other at the same time, it's was certainly something to watch).    
  
Blaine too was trying his best to refuse going on stage, explaining very quickly and in words that only half made sense to the Taylor brothers that he could not go out there in that stage where everyone would be watching him, he couldn't even sing to one person let alone a whole crowd of them, he couldn't do it. The Taylor brothers were having none of it, and eventually they dragged Blaine on to the stage in front of the other boys just so that he couldn't escape.    
  
The pain in Wes's hand was continuing to get worse, and David was arguing with up to the last second over him taking his pain medication, causing them to nearly miss getting on stage in time for the performance.    
  
It also didn't help that on the way to the stage the Jeff tripped, causing a domino effect across several of the boys, though luckily none of the boys yelled too loudly and when Nick checked the audience it seemed like none of them had noticed. Still, it left the boys scrambling to dust off their clothes and rush to their spots, but somehow they all made it just as it was announced    
  
"And now, from Westerville, Ohio, it's the Dalton Academy Warblers!"    


* * *

Blaine didn't really know to explain it, but for some reason when the curtains on that stage went up, and they all started to sing, every ounce of fear left him. Being up there on that stage, performing and dancing in front of a cheering crowd, surrounded by the boys who had definitely grown to become his family, Blaine had never felt more alive. He felt like he was home. He had forgotten how good it felt to be on stage with people you care about, he forgot how easy it was to forget everything when you were up there singing.    
  
And as he danced between Mason and Evan, singing along with the others as Cooper led them through their songs, Blaine had felt for the first time since Sadie Hawkins as if he was whole again. He finally felt like who he had been before it all went wrong.   


* * *

As soon as the curtain fell and the Warblers were rushing off the stage, Cooper caught Blaine in a hug, spinning his still grinning brother around, the high of a good performance still coursing through both of them. Blaine was wearing the brightest smile Cooper had ever seen, and any trace of fear that was on his face before they started was long gone, obliterated by the sheer joy of being on stage again. As for Cooper, well he was just happy to see so much pure unadulterated joy on the face of his little brother for the first time in months.    
  
"Blainey," Cooper exclaimed happily, putting down his brother who in turn began to bounce slightly in his excitement. "Squirt, you belong on a stage. Look at you, look at how happy you are. Blainey, I haven't seen you look like this in a long long time."   
  
Blaine blushed slightly, but even the slight embarrassment he felt at Cooper words couldn't wipe the giant smile off his face. Cooper was right. This was the first time in a long he had felt like this. All because of a little performance. Before he got a chance to tell Cooper this though, he was interrupted.   
  
"Guys, come on, Wes wants to have a meeting in the Warbler room while we wait for the results." Connor said as he rushed past the Anderson brothers, motioning for them to follow the group of boys who were once again running down the hallway. Only this time they were running out of excitement and not fear they wouldn't reach the stage.   
  
Cooper and Blaine shared a look, both of them laughing at just how ridiculous their friends, their family, were. They trailed after them at a slower pace, Cooper's arm wrapped around Blaine's shoulder, both of them still radiating joy from the performance.    
  
If you asked anyone, in that moment they looked just as any older/younger brother duo would. With Cooper teasing Blaine and Blaine trying his best to keep his brother away from his hair he so that he couldn't mess it up.   
  
If that was the first time you had ever seen them, you would have never known that less than a year ago Blaine almost died, or that Cooper had practically raised Blaine since he was four. You wouldn't know the pair thought of each other as the only family they had.   
  
For the first time in months, Blaine and Cooper were acting as normal teenage boys should. Happy, free, without a care in the world other than if they would win Regionals or not.    
  
And maybe that's why the others didn't try to rush them down the hall as they normally would. For as anxious as they were about the results, they hadn't seen Cooper act like this in over a year. They had never seen Blaine like this.    
  
They didn't know how long it was going to last. So they let them take as long as they wanted, to prolong this moment of pure joy for the two boys for as long as possible.   


* * *

They won. The Warblers had won Regionals and were headed on to Nationals in the spring. They had done it.    
  
The reaction from the boys is one Blaine is sure he'll never forget. Silence fell over the stage as the words settled in, and the like fireworks exploding in the sky noise burst from every boy as they realized: They had done it. For the first time in years, the Warblers were moving on to Nationals.   
  
They cheered themselves hoarse on that stage and then cheered some more, the trophy proudly carried between Cooper and Evan back to the Warbler room, the boys cheering and screaming and congratulating each other the whole time.    
  
And when they reached the Warbler room the excitement only got louder, after Wes announced to them all that pizza was ordered and on its way, and tonight the Warbler Hall was theirs to celebrate and hang out. They were going to have a party, a sleepover there, with movies and popcorn and music and ice cream sundaes and literally anything they could think if. Because they had done it. They had won. After all that had happened today alone it seemed like an impossible feat. And they had conquered it.    


* * *

It took close to twenty minutes for Julius and Charlie to slip away from the others. Every time they tried someone would pull them back in for a celebratory hug or pat on the back for a job well done, everyone was congratulating each other and so it made it hard to slip out unnoticed. At least until the girls of Haverly sauntered in, distracting the boys long enough that Charlie and Julius were able to slip out unnoticed.    
  
Though in a way both boys wished they hadn't been able to get out so easily, because they both knew what was waiting for them when they did: Julius's dad.    
  
Finding Mr. Dauer was easy. For one thing, Mr. Dauer had a voice you could hear over any crowd. For another, you could always tell where Mr. Dauer was based upon the people around him. Anyone within a five foot radius of Mr. Dauer looked uncomfortable and slightly scared, which is to be expected when you're in the presence of the devil.    
  
So it was easy to find Mr. Dauer, but it wasn't easy for Julius to work up the courage to actually go over to him. Just the sight of his father made Julius shake, he knew as soon as he went over there there was no going back. His father had news, and good or bad after he went over there there was no way to take it back. And he was terrified of what he would find out.    
  
Eventually Charlie got Julius over there. It took a lot of coaxing, they moved slowly and carefully, hands intertwined, Charlie rubbing small circles on the back of Julius's hands as they walked, not letting go even when they stopped in front Mr. Dauer, and the man glowered down at them.    
  
"Aiden. I thought I told you to come as soon as you finished on stage." Mr. Dauer scolded, looking Julius up and down as his son hung his head in shame, muttering a quiet 'sorry'. "Oh never mind, we'll just have to hurry to make up for lost time. Come."    
  
Mr. Dauer started walking off, beckoning Julius to follow after him. He stopped though when Charlie walked along side his son. "Just you Aiden. This is family business, and I don't have no time for the nonsense of your little friends."    
  
"Nonsense? So I assume you know, then, how to calm Julius down if whatever you tell him causes him a panic attack?" Charlie asked, crossing his arm that was not holding onto Julius across his chest, staring evenly back at Mr. Dauer as he glared harshly at the auburn haired boy. "You know how to spot it before it starts so that he doesn't have one? Know what to do when he comes out of one to make him feel better?"   
  
"I'll be fine Charlie," Julius mumbled, his words hardly loud enough to be heard and he refused to look up at his best friend as he spoke, not wanting to give away just how big of a lie he was telling.    
  
"No you won't." Of course Charlie knew. Charlie knew Julius better than anyone else, how could he not know? Charlie frowned down at Julius, and then glared up at Mr. Dauer, saying in the most forceful voice he could manage. "You said this was a family matter. Well, with all due respect sir, Julius is my family. He needs me right now and I'm not going to abandon him. So either you accept that and tell us both what this news is, or I'll take Julius and we will leave."    
  
Mr. Dauer pursed his lips disapprovingly at the boys, but didn't try to argue any further, glancing down at his watch before looking at Julius and telling him "We're going on vacation. Next week, I've spoken to the dean and she agreed to give you the time off. Your teachers should have your work ready for you to collect and take with you by now, I told them we were running on short time."   
  
"V-Vacation sir?" Julius asked, blinking up at his father confused. They hadn't gone on vacation since he was a kid, why on earth would they go now?   
  
Mr. Dauer sighed, trying to find the right words to break the news to his son, until finally he said "I'm getting married again. To a lovely women named Crystal. She suggested, however, that before the wedding we should all go on vacation. To bond or whatever. Her plane should be landing here shortly, and your sisters should get here not long after that. I don't know how I'm supposed to pick all of them and get back here in time to get you before our plane leaves..."   
  
"My driver could take him, sir." Charlie pipped up immediately, glancing sideways at Julius who had suddenly gone very pale before looking back at Mr. Dauer with his sweetest face. "He knows all of the fastest routes to get from here to Columbus, and he has a spotless drivers record."    
  
"Yes, yes that's fine." Mr. Dauer agreed, waving his hand at Charlie to get him to shut up, pulling out his phone and quickly typing something onto it as he addressed Julius "Boarding starts at four, Aiden, though I would like you to get their earlier if possible. Wear something comfortable, it's going to be a long flight. Make sure you bring all your school work and anything else you'll need whilst you're gone."    
  
And then Mr. Dauer turned on his heel, putting his phone up to his ear as he marched off down the hallway, leaving a shell shocked Julius behind before he could even give a response.    
  
Charlie for his part didn't say anything, just glared at Mr. Dauer until he was out of sight before he gathered Julius in his arms, and very carefully carried his still in shock best friend back to their room. They had a lot to do in a very small window of time.    


* * *

Charlie and Julius were bad at goodbyes. Even if they were only for a few days, they could still take hours in saying goodbye, hugging each other and whispering things as if it was the last time they'd ever see each other. Then, they both knew that was a very real possibility.   
  
It was more than just that though. Truthfully neither boy knew quite how to function without the other by their side. All their childhood it was Charlie and Julius, never one without the other, most people joked you could hardly tell where Charlie ended and Julius began they were so close. When they met up at Dalton again, the bond between them latched hold as if no time had passed. They were Charlie and Julius and everyone knew that. If you talked about one, they knew you meant both. Their science teacher had once described them to have a symbiotic relationship. They were never apart by choice.    
  
Which is perhaps what made saying goodbye so hard for them.    
  
"Text me as soon as you land so I know you're safe. And Skype me as soon as you can do I know it's you." Charlie was worried. He was trying not to show it, but it was clear to anyone that saw him that he was worried sick over Julius's flight. He always was when his friends traveled. "Take lots of pictures. And call me whenever, let me know how things are going."    
  
"It's only going to be a week bear." Julius reminded Charlie gently, pulling his best friend into a tight hug in hopes of relieving some of his worry. "I promise you, I'll be okay. And I'll text you constantly just so you're sure I am."    
  
"If your dad starts getting too much to handle tell me and I swear I'll get one of my uncles helicopters and come save you in an instant." Charlie murmured, burying his face in Julius's neck, breathing in the scent of his best friend deeply. "I'm going to miss you Robin."    
  
"I'll miss you too bear." Julius replied, holding the hug a minute long before reluctantly letting go, opening the door and sliding out of it, grabbing his bag and walking over to Charlie's window, where he looked his friend over a final time. "You'll be okay while I'm gone, right?"    
  
"I'm staying with Blaine until you get back.” Charlie nodded, smiling a bit when Julius sighed just slightly in relief. So he wasn’t the only one worried, at least. 

“I’ll see you in a week then.” Julius said, stepping away from the curve. He took a deep breath, grabbing his suitcase that Charlie’s driver (Roger) had got from the back of the car, turned, and walked into the airport without looking back. ‘It’s just a week’ he reminded himself. ‘Just one week’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that certainly was an adventure.   
> I'm sorry for the lack of Blaine in this chapter, and certainly focused mostly on Julius and Charlie, but I really needed to do a bit of character development on the two of them. I'm probably going to focusing on the background of the other boys a little more of the next few chapters, sort of like I did in this one, just so we can make sure everything's all nice and developed and ready when Kurt comes in (Hopefully soon.)
> 
> I can't promise when the next update will be, but I'm done with school now except for exams, so I should hopefully be able to update a little more regularly. But speaking of next updates...
> 
> Next time on Cannonball:   
> Charlie mopes over Julius being gone, so the others try to distract him with a little mischief.   
> Blaine gets initiated into the Warblers.  
> And Evan brings up an issue that's been on his mind for a while.


	9. The Trouble That Happens When Julius Is Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie is lost without Julius.  
> The Warblers discuss Evan's youngest brother Ben.  
> Blaine gets inducted into the Warblers, and then causes a bit of mayhem with Connor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note: Apparently I posted this around 4:30 in the morning (I was writing all night) so if there are any mistakes I'm sorry this is a late night post*
> 
> Just a reminder of who is who in the Marauder's chat since it's been so long:  
> WarblerLead- Cooper Anderson  
> GredAndForge- Josh and James Evans  
> PianoMan- Julius Dauer  
> ExplodingCharlie- Charlie Austin  
> Gavel&Me- Wes Montgomery  
> MinuteMan- David Thompson  
> BestArtistYoullMeet- Mason Taylor  
> KeepYouInLine- Evan Taylor  
> ConFromAcrossThePond- Connor James  
> TheLittleMerBlaine- Blaine Anderson  
> TheBiPie- Jeff Sterling  
> AThousandYears- Nick Duval

Julius and Charlie didn’t handle being apart well. Actually, generally speaking they handled being apart pretty shittly, especially when they were apart and couldn’t talk to one another.

The last time they had been apart it was when Charlie left for a month to get help, and Julius was left alone to worry about him constantly. And he handled it, well he handled it much like Charlie was now handling his departure.

"I can't decide if this is more or less pathetic than last time." Josh muttered quietly to his brother, eying the auburn haired boy who was laying face down on the spare bed in Blaine's room.

"Less. Definitely less. At least Charlie is making noise." James threw a pillow across the room at Charlie, who after a moment groaned loudly in response, but didn't otherwise move from his position, continuing to stare at his phone, waiting for it to light up with a text from Julius. "Julius didn't respond to anything for at least a day. Maybe longer."

"True but he hasn't really moved yet either." Josh frowned, tilting his head slightly at Charlie, who had not moved once since they walked in.

"How long did you say he's been like his Ariel?" James asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Charlie to look at the youngest Anderson brother, who was curled up on his bed doing homework as he had been when the boys arrived. Blaine paused when James spoke to him, glancing at Charlie for a moment before answering

"C-Charlie's been t-there since h-he got b-back from t-the airport." Blaine replied, smiling slightly at Charlie who groaned in acknowledgment at the sound of his name. "H-He's waiting for J-Julius t-to c-call."

"He's moping." Cooper corrected, rolling his eyes, taking another pillow from Blaine's bed to throw at Charlie, attempting to get a reaction out of the younger boy. "He'll call when he can. Stop moping."

"I'm not moping." Charlie muttered defensively after a moment, turning his phone carefully in his hands but otherwise not moving from his position. "I'm waiting."

"Same thing dude." David informed him, sitting down on the bed beside Charlie and patting his leg gently. "Stop worrying and just, I don't know, like do your homework or something. You need to distract yourself and relax."

"Yeah, all of the Warblers are downstairs celebrating our win with a movie night. Come join us." Wes agreed, poking Charlie gently in the side, trying to get a reaction out of the boy. "We're watching Lord of the Rings."

"I can't. Not until Julius calls." Charlie replied, glancing away from his phone only briefly to frown at Wes. "Or texts."

"Staring at your phone isn't going to make it happen any sooner." Mason pointed out, rolling his eyes when Charlie sent him a very quick but angry glare. "Oh come on Charlie, don't give me that, you know it's true. Julius will call when he can but whether you're here or with your friends it's not going to change when he does. Just come relax with us."

"You don't get it," Charlie muttered, shaking his head at Mason's words. He sighed, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his phone tight in his hand before he admitted "I _can't_ relax. Not until I know he's safe, not until I know he's off the plane. Because as long as he's on it I'm not going to be able to relax, knowing that at any moment it could, it could crash or catch on fire or be taken over by terrorist and he could die. Until he's safe in his hotel room I can't stop thinking that something's going to happen to him and he'll die. And I don't know what I would do if he died, I can't lose him, I can't. He's my best friend and the only person I have that can keep me in control and I need him and if he dies..."

Charlie shook his head, the words dying in his throat because he couldn't bear the thought. Couldn't bear thinking of a life without Julius, without his best friend, and yet his mind was focused on just that. Focused on the fact that Julius could die in that plane and leave him forever and Charlie wouldn't even get to give him a proper goodbye.

"Charlie, Charlie look at me." Wes's voice broke through the racing thoughts in Charlie's brain and shakily he looked up at the Asian boy, who was staring steadily back at him. "Julius is not going to die, okay? He's going to be okay. I know you're scared, I know. But Julius is okay. And he's not going to die. Do you really think he'd leave you like that? You two are way too close, not even death could pull you apart."

"I just can't stop thinking about what happened with my parents." Charlie admitted quietly, looking down at his hands so that his friends wouldn't see the emotions rushing across it. Wouldn't see how vulnerable he was right now. "It happened so fast, we never saw it coming and I just, can't get the thought out of my mind that it could happen again."

Charlie paused, still looking down at his lap as he carefully wiped away a few tears that had started to fall, sliding his phone open and closed absently in his hands as he spoke. "That's why I always insist you guys text me when you arrive somewhere, whether it be by car or plane or whatever. Because until you do I'm just, irrationally worried you're dead or something."

Wes had backed away when Charlie wasn't looking, replaced by the twins who instantly wrapped him in a hug the moment he stopped talking, soothing him the best way that they knew how: by cuddling the shit out of him.

"Why have you never told us this Charlie?" Cooper asked from across the room, sharing a genuinely concerned look with the rest of his friends, most whom shared the same confusion he did on why their friend never told them something that clearly affected him so much. More importantly though, Cooper could tell they were all thinking the same thing. How could they not notice something was off?

"I didn't want to worry you anymore." Charlie said, his face burning in embarrassment as he did his best still not to look at his friends, despite the fact that two of them were literally clinging to him. "Besides, as long as Julius is here it isn't so bad. He's really good at calming me down and distracting me, and I never have to tell him how I feel because he always just kind of knows."

"Julius helped you hide it?" Evan asked after a moment, frowning slightly at Charlie when he simply nodded. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"Because Julius is the best friend I could ever ask for, and when I told him I didn't want anyone to know anything, he respected that." Charlie explained, the corners of his lips twitching up slightly when he talked about his best friend. "He doesn't think I should hide it from you, but he understands why I want to. He's the same way in a lot of respects."

"Okay well we're going to be having a conversation later over what else you and Julius are hiding from us," Evan started, holding his hand before Charlie could even protest against him, continuing on "But for now, How does Julius usually calm you down or whatever?"

Charlie shrugged, looking down at his phone for a moment as if it held all the answers, trying to recall just what Julius methods were. Truthfully though, it was less of what he did and more because of who did it that kept Charlie calm. "He just... does you know? Like I mean he's Julius, he can read me like a book, he knows how to calm me down before I even realize I'm upset sometimes. But I guess you know mostly we just cuddle, having someone physically there helps to remind me that I'm not alone, which is the root of this fear I think. He doesn't try to make my anxiety stop, he knows I can't stop worrying, but instead helps me find ways to pass the time. Like we'll read together or watch a movie or something. And if I'm not entirely there, if I'm distracted, he doesn't say a word about it. Mostly he's just there for me. I remember last year, not long after I came back from the hospital, when Evan and Mason went on that 20 hour flight to Sydney. And I was so worried, and at the time I had only been clean for a few weeks, and I was completely freaking out and I didn't know how to calm down, and my hands really needed something to do, so Julius laid in my lap for like eight hours straight, letting me run one hand through his hair over and over while he gently played piano against my arm and wrist until I calmed down some. And he stayed up all night with me until we got the call that you two had landed safely."

"So how can we help then?" Josh asked, still holding Charlie tight in a hug with his brother, though were both were ready to let go the minute he indicated he wanted them to.

"Should we keep cuddling you? Does it help?" James added, peering down slightly at Charlie, waiting for his answer. When Charlie nodded yes in response, both James and Josh grinned, pulling the boy tighter to them. Cuddling was, after all, their favorite past time.

"Okay well besides the twins," Evan said, rolling his eyes at the Josh and James, who wore matching smiles as they happily squished Charlie between them. "Is there anything the rest of us can do to help?"  
  
"W-what about a m-movie night?" Blaine suggested, closing his math textbook and setting it beside him on his bed as several eyes turned towards him and his sudden response. "C-Charlie said t-that Julius d-distracts him and m-movies seem like a g-good way t-to do t-that."  
  
"We could build a blanket fort and have a sleepover!" Wes added at the same time David said something similar. The two friends shared matching grins and high-fives, clearly pleased to be on the same wavelength.  
  
"What do you think Charlie? Sound like a good idea?" Mason asked, smiling widely at the boy from across the room.  
  
"You would still do it even if I said no." Charlie muttered, trying to force an annoyed look on his face to no avail.  
  
Cooper laughed at his response, and with a wicked grin and teasing wink said "You bet your ass we would." 

* * *

When Julius called a few hours later, Charlie answered the phone with a speed that almost seemed impossible considering he was still squished between the twins. But somehow he managed to get his phone out of his pocket and answered before the third ring, pressing it to his ear still in his spot between Josh and James.  
  
The boys could all tell the instant Julius said something, because the relief that washed over Charlie's face was something that could only come from hearing the voice of his best friend.  
  
After about five minutes of talking to Julius (and being constantly interrupted by the others making noises and faces and the twins trying to talk into the phone), Charlie managed to free himself from his friends and locked himself in the bathroom so that he could have some peace.  
  
Three hours later, Charlie finally emerged from the call and from the bathroom, only to find the entire dorm room cloaked in silence. Waiting for him to come back, they had all wound up falling asleep.  
  
Smiling to himself at the sight, Charlie snapped a photo of the sleeping Marauders before sending it to Julius, writing beneath it: " _See what you miss out on when you’re not here? Puppy piles and blanket forts. Goodnight :)”._ After sending the message on it’s way, Charlie slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked the few steps needed to reach the boys, wriggling himself into the group and the pile they had made whilst he was gone. And for that first time that night he fell asleep surrounded by his friends, and he felt safe.

* * *

Wes had given the Warblers exactly two days off after Regionals to relax and celebrate their win, but like clockwork the next Tuesday they were meeting again in the Warbler Hall, to talk about the things coming up in the next few months. Nationals sure, but the more pressing issue at the moment came in the form of the Spring Break Festival, which appropriately took place the weekend before Spring Break. The Warblers would usually perform at the final closing ceremony in a big number before the fireworks, but the topic of today’s meeting was not focused on the songs. In fact, most of the boys couldn’t care less about what they performed.

It was all about winning.

“Every year at the festival, there’s a bit of a competition between us clubs.” Wes explained that afternoon, speaking mostly to the newest Warblers who had yet to attend one of what, in many opinions, was easily the best tradition the school had to offer. “To see who can raise more money at their stand, or stands if they choose, for the charity of their choosing. The club that wins not only gets the possession of the lovely trophy,” Here Wes paused long enough to gesture to the piano, and to where Blaine sat on top of the piano holding a golden trophy, shaped like a canary that the boys had fondly named Pavarotti. “But the group that wins also get the amount they raised matched by the school for their charity. Now the Warblers have won three years in a row, and we don’t plan on giving up Pavi any time soon, so we need to start brainstorming now on what we can do in order to beat the other clubs. All booth ideas have to, of course, be run by Dean Windsor, but generally we can get away with just about anything so long as it isn’t illegal or dangerous to the general public.”

“That was one time!” Charlie cried defensively, crossing his arms at Wes when the older boy shot him a pointed look from across the room. “And besides, they were harmless.”

“They blew things up.” Wes deadpanned, staring blankly back at Charlie who only blushed slightly at his stare.

“Yeah but they weren’t big enough explosions to actually hurt anyone.” Charlie muttered, pouting slightly when Wes continued to glare sternly at him. “Besides we didn’t actually sell them anyways.”

“You didn’t because we stopped you.” Wes replied, rolling his eyes before turning away from Charlie, moving his gaze so that he could address the entire group of boys now. “If any of you have ideas for booths, please let me know and we’ll start compiling a list. We also need a list of charities to support so that we can chose one in our next meeting, so if you have one you’d like to add to the list...” Wes trailed off as Evan’s hand shot into the air, and curiously Wes tilted his head at the eldest Taylor before nodding for him to speak.

“I actually already have a charity I would like us to consider.” Evan said, pulling out a few papers from his bag and handing them to Wes, who looked them over as Evan stood up and walked around the council table, turning to talk to his fellow Warblers. “Dalton isn’t an accessible school. Think about it, how many disabled kids do you know at Dalton? None, right? Because it’s not accessible. I mean, we don’t even have elevators for god's sake, which is something I’m sure many of you could have used at some point or another after injuring yourself in some stupid way.”

“Evan,” Mason started, sighing heavily at his brother, and the argument he had already heard a million times. It was the same argument Evan had been making for four years, to every member of the school board, to the dean, to everyone he could think of. None of them listened. “I know where you’re going with this and we both know it’s not a good idea. They’ve already told you no god knows how many times, you’re not going to change that.”

  
“There is a charity,” Evan continued, ignoring Mason as if he hadn’t interrupted, though that was admittedly a hard thing to do when most of the group was now looking between the two Taylor brothers curiously. “It’s a great organization, it runs primarily off of donations, that transforms schools into being accessible schools for disabled children at extremely low prices. And I think we should donate the money we raise to them.”

“How did you even find this?” Wes asked, looking up from the stack of papers Evan had given him with a slightly amazed look. “I’ve never even heard of these people. What made you go out and do all of this research to find them?”

“I did it for my brother,” Evan admitted, his voice changing from one of passion to something softer, something slightly more vulnerable. “For my youngest brother Ben. He’s in a wheelchair, he has been since he was five, and ever since I came to Dalton he talked about wanting to come one day as well. Obviously that’s impossible with the way Dalton is now, but if we could just add a few things, like elevators and wheelchair ramps, just simple things to make the school open to more students, he could be here. I’ve been trying to convince the school for years, but they always say it’s too much money. I was looking for solutions when I came across this.”

“It’s a longshot, I know that. The school will probably shut the idea down even at the lowered price, but it’s the best option I could find. It’s the only chance I have to get Ben, and other disabled students, the only chance I have to get them into this school. And I’ve been coming up with solutions for four years, so believe me when I say it’s the last chance I have.” Evan sighed, sounding slightly defeated as he leaned against the council table, covering his face with both of his hands. He just wanted to do what was best for his brother, wanted to give him and others like him the same opportunities abled students got, but the school and the board just seemed to be so against it. He was tired, tired of fighting the same old fight with the same old outcome, but he just couldn’t give up. It wasn’t right, someone needed to say something, but after a while it did become draining.

The others could tell. The Warblers, and particularly the Marauders, they could all tell just by looking at Evan how tired he was. He had been fighting a losing battle and it was taking it’s toll and they could tell. It didn’t take any words for them to come to a decision, because just looking at Evan they knew there was only one thing they could do.

Gently Wes hit his gavel on the desk, and when Evan slowly raised his head to look at him, Wes cleared and throat and announced “The Warbler’s charity this year is Wheels and Cheers. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll talk more about the festival, but I think this meeting is about over for today. It’s nearly time for dinner, so unless we have any more points to bring up...”

“Actually, there is something I’ve noticed.” Jeff admitted from the back of the room, where he sat on the floor directly across from where Nick was (They had been banned from sitting next to each other after it became clear they only focused on each other if they were together), and diagonally across from Blaine, the latter of whom he was looking at as spoke. “We never initiated Blaine. I mean, there’s no real need for an audition because he already performed with us, but shouldn’t he still be initiated?”

For the second time that day silence fell over the Warbler room, as it slowly dawned on the entire room the truth behind Jeff’s words, and the sense that the made. Blaine had just sort of become part of them, none of had even realized he hadn’t been initiated because by the time they finished performing at Regionals it almost felt like he had already been there. Wes, David, and Evan shared a mutual look of shock and confusion as they all tried to wrack their brains for Blaine’s initiation. Only, there was nothing because they hadn’t initiated him yet.

“Fuck.” David said, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the same realization crossing his fellow council members. “We fucked up.”

“Do we still do it?” Wes asked, looking between the two on either side of him, the three talking as if no one else was in the room.

“We can’t just skip it.” Evan pointed out, all previous troubles wiped from his mind as this new, and arguably more serious problem took precedent over it. “I mean, initiation is how you become a Warbler. The audition doesn’t even matter, it’s all about initiation.”

“It’s a tradition as old as the club.” David added, frowning slightly as he glanced briefly up at the others, look specifically to Blaine, who seemed to be completely lost as to what was going on. “We have to do it.”

“Tonight?” Wes asked the pair, waiting only until they nodded before he slammed his gavel on the table, drawing attention back to the council as he announced “It’s been decided that Blaine’s initiation shall be tonight. Same time, same place. Thank you Jeff for bringing it to our attention. Now, if there’s no more issues...”  
  
Wes paused to see if anyone else would speak up, but when no one did he nodded in satisfaction, slamming his gavel down for the last time. “Meeting dismissed. See you all tonight.”

* * *

**ExplodingCharlie: @PianoMan When are you coming back?**

**PianoMan: Charlie, you know it’s not until Saturday.** **  
** **Why?**

**ExplodingCharlie: Well for one I miss you.**

**PianoMan: Aww**

**GredAndForge: Disgusting.**

**ExplodingCharlie: For another, we need to start planning our booth for the fair this year.  
** **Fuck off @GredAndForge.**

**PianoMan: We’re already on the festival?  
** **I’ve only been gone for like three days.**

**WarblerLead: Three days but you’ve missed so much.**

**MinuteMan: We’ve also already chosen our charity.**

**Gavel &Me: We also realized we haven’t initiated Blaine so that’s happening tonight. **

**ConFromAcrossThePond: Don’t forget that the twins also started a food fight at dinner Sunday.**

**KeepYouInLine: And then started a school wide snowball fight on Monday afternoon, despite the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of snow on the ground.**

**WarblerLead: Blaine’s also taken to wearing eyeliner everyday, and boy you should see the heads he turns.**

**GredAndForge: Blaine already attracted attention with his good looks, but this takes it to the next level.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Blaine is currently screaming into his pillow, and he’s very red, and I think you two have broke him.**

**AThousandYears: We can hear him in our room???**

**TheBiPie: The twins are right though. Blaine’s eyeliner certainly attracts attention, in the good way.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Look, I’m AroAce but even I can admit that Blaine’s eyeliner makes him look hot.**

**WarblerLead: Watch yourself. That is my baby brother.**

**ExplodingCharlie: I read Blaine your messages and now he’s stopped screaming, and is instead just staring at the ceiling extremely red.** **  
** **His eyeliner is still perfect though.**

**GredAndForge: Pics**

**ExplodingCharlie: EmbarrasedBlaine.jpg  
** **He didn’t even blink and I am concerned.**

**KeepYouInLine: Omg he’s so red.**

**PianoMan: You’re right though, that eyeliner is on point.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: He has a gift.**

**WarblerLead: Stop embarrassing my brother before he implodes.**

**GredAndForge: Aww, but he's so cute when he blushes.**

**AThousandYears: His future boyfriend is probably going to die the first time he sees him blush tbh**

**ABiPie: As someone who is dating a person that blushes easily, I can confirm that you die no matter how many times you see it, so Blaine's future boyfriend is probably going to die a lot.**

**ExplodingCharlie: He just made a really high pitched squealing noise and I think you guys should stop before he legitimately explodes everywhere.**

**PianoMan: Omg leave him alone.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: Is he always like this when people compliment him?**

**KeepYouInLine: Wait, have we never complimented Blaine before?**

**BestArtistYoullEverMeet: I am both shocked and appalled at all of us for not complimenting him more.**

**WarblerLead: If you think he's embarrassed now imagine how bad he'll be embarrassed when we praise his singing.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Blaine literally just groaned "Kill me now" before covering his face with his pillow  
** **It's actually really amusing, I wish you could see this.**

**Gavel &Me: Are you telling us the plan for tonight is to embarrass the shit out of Blaine?**

**MinuteMan: We seriously won't hesitate.**

**WarblerLead: All I'm saying is it would be very easy.**

**GredAndForge: evilgrin.gif**

**PianoMan: Please do not embarrass Blaine too much, he is a child and you've already put him through enough.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Blaine is now cursing, I think, in a language I don't know.**

**WarblerLead: It's probably Filipino or maybe Italian.**

**KeepYouInLine: Blaine knows Italian???**

**WarblerLead: He studied it in his free time after our mom died. It helped him stay busy.**

**MinuteMan: :(**

**ExplodingCharlie: Wait I think that was French**

**WarblerLead: Oh yeah, he started taking French last year. I forgot about that.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Why does your brother know some many languages?**

**WarblerLead: Well our mother taught us the Filipino.  
** **After she died, Blaine started taking online courses for Italian to keep him busy.  
** **He's taking French because he needs the credit a language gives.  
** **He also said something about one day taking German or Japanese too, but he hasn't gotten around to it yet.**

**MinuteMan: Why???**

**WarblerLead: The point is that Blaine likes to learn languages, and apparently mostly uses them to cuss.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Okay I just asked if he was okay and he just screamed at me rapid Italian and I'm frightened for my life**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Charlie are you okay?**

**ExplodingCharlie: I'm very concerned about Blaine and the state of his sanity.**

**WarblerLead: He's just embarrassed. He's fine though, I'm sure.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Okay so I only vaguely know French because I'm not taking it, but I think the gist of what Blaine just told me was "Tell them if they embarrass me tonight they'll pay for it."**

**AThousandYears: Wait, did Blaine just threaten you?**

**MinuteMan: Threaten us, you mean.**

**ABiPie: Yeah I'm pretty sure we’re in this too honestly.**

**AThousandYears: Speak for yourself, I’m staying out of this.**

**GredAndForge: We're so proud of him honestly. Going from being shy to threatening our lives.**

**Gavel &Me: How serious do you think he is?**

**WarblerLead: 100%**

**ExplodingCharlie: 100%**

**GredAndForge: Eh we're gonna risk it anyways.**

**WarblerLead: If you die, don't blame me.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Does that mean you're not going to help us?**

**WarblerLead: Oh I totally am. I'm just saying you should be ready for the consequences**  

**PianoMan: I just want it on the record that I do not support this.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Because you’re not here?**

**PianoMan: ...  
** **Maybe**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: I also will not be there so I just want to say I am not on your side either.**

**KeepYouInLine: I mean,,, that’s probably for the best.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: We should all probably not support it either.**

**GredAndForge: Well the medallion says that’s dumb so we’re not going to that.**

**MinuteMan: ....  
** **We’re all going to regret this later aren’t we?**

**Gavel &Me: Probably. **

* * *

Charlie got the honors of escorting Blaine that night to his induction ceremony. The twins had wanted to have the honors, but after the stunt they pulled last time (Which Nick still was not over, by the way), it had been decided they were banned indefinitely from inducting new members until it the others could be certain they wouldn’t traumatize yet another new member. Which meant their ban would most likely never be lifted. 

So Charlie got to escort Blaine to his initiation, which was an interesting experience for both of them after it became clearly very early on Blaine absolutely could not walk with being able to see, and even with Charlie guiding him he tripped more than once, though Charlie always managed to straighten him out again before they both went falling to the floor. At least, Charlie managed to keep them both upright until they reached the stairs that led up to the stage.  
  
In the end they decided to take the blindfold off Blaine before he went up the stairs, after he stepped on the first one and then promptly stepped back off of it, running into Charlie and sending both of them to the floor with a crash. Neither were seriously hurt, thankfully, but the others thought it better not to risk it any further and allowed Blaine to walk up the stairs by himself.  
  
Cooper was waiting in the middle of the stage for Blaine when he arrived, and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders when he was close enough. Normally the boys were left alone on stage, but with Blaine's history, Cooper wasn't willing to risk the fact his baby brother might have a panic attack for the sake of tradition.  
  
Besides, it was far more dramatic delivering the news when he could quote the Lion King whilst doing.  
  
"Look Blaine, everything the light touches will one day be your crowd." Cooper said, gesturing dramatically towards the seats in front of them, and the boys who sat in the front two rows watching, amused. "A performer's time on stage rises and falls like the sun. Soon Blaine, the sun will set on my time up here, but it is only rising on yours."  
  
Blaine looked up at Cooper, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, as if he was asking him 'The Lion King Cooper? Really?'  
  
"I know we usually stick for more of a Little Mermaid theme, but hush. It's still Disney." Cooper replied, sticking his tongue briefly out at Blaine before clearing his throat and continuing his previous speech. "Where was I? Right, one day all of these seats will be filled as your crowd, and you will be a part of the best show choir of all time, The Warblers."  
  
Several boys let out whoops of agreement at Cooper's statement, and he smiled briefly at them before turning towards Blaine with a serious look, placing a hand on each of his brother's shoulders. "But there is one thing each new Warbler must first go through. That is why we are all gathered here tonight, Blaine Anderson, to initiate you into the Warblers. It's a very simple process. All you need to do is sing."  
  
Silence fell across the auditorium, no one even dared to breathe as every eye darted between the still serious face of Cooper and the shocked and slightly panicked face of Blaine. For a second it look like Blaine was about to have a panic attack, Cooper looked ready to pull him off the stage when suddenly a slight smile crossed Blaine's face, and he asked almost innocently "I-I can s-sing any s-song I w-want?"  
  
"What are you planning?" Cooper asked in response, looking his brother up and down when Blaine smirked slightly in response, standing in his tiptoes so he could whisper something in his brother's ear.  
  
As soon as Cooper heard what Blaine had planned he was smirking too, and after indicating to Wes they needed about five minutes to prepare, Blaine and Cooper rushed off backstage, the older Anderson shutting the curtains behind him.  
  
"Should we be concerned about what they're planning?" David asked Wes after the boy's disappeared, frowning slightly at the sound of something being dragged across the stage.  
  
"Possibly." Wes replied, wincing slightly as the sound of something falling on stage crossed the auditorium, causing several of the boy's heads to turn in alarm. "Though I think we should mostly just be thankful Blaine didn't freak out like we thought he did."  
  
"Ariel has a plan." Josh said suddenly, seemingly appearing out of nowhere beside Wes as James appeared on the other side beside David.  
  
"You could see it in his face." James added, doing his best to copy the face Blaine had made after Cooper delivered the news to him.  
  
"We're not sure what it is,"  
  
"But considering the look on his face,"  
  
"And the fact the curtain is closed,"  
  
"Plus knowing from Cooper that Blaine never does a performance halfway,"  
  
"We'd say it's probably incredible."  
  
"Definitely something we'll be able to compliment the shit out of him for."  
  
"Well it's definitely going to be better than Cooper's initiation." Evan said, grimacing slightly as he leaned forward to talk with the others. "God he was so angry back then. It was like he was mad at the entire world except for Blaine. And when he got up there to sing, there was just so much anger and hatred in his voice. I can't even remember the song, but god I remember it gave me chills. The council was impressed by the raw emotion in his voice, he's lucky he's so damn good or they probably would have kicked him out."  
  
"Because he was angry?" Wes asked, looking over at David and then to Evan confused. "They can't do that can they?"  
  
"Cooper's anger could get explosive at times. I mean, I'm sure you've all seen him angry from time to time right?" Evan asked, and the others nodded in agreement. It wasn't often that they did see Cooper angry, but there were a few occasions where he lost his cool. "Well his anger in his Freshman year was worst than that. Usually Coop has a long fuse, you know, it's hard to make him upset, but back then any little thing could set him off. People were genuinely afraid to talk to him because he'd snap so easily. He was never violent, but his words stung. He always knew the right places to hit in order to bring you down.  
  
"The thing was, Cooper was going through a lot of shit at the time, and no one really seemed to care to give him any breaks. The teachers were really hard on him, both because he was acting out and because he wasn’t doing his work. No one even bothered trying to befriend him because, well he wasn’t exactly pleasant.Of course, being his roommate I couldn’t exactly just ignore him, even if he was more of a ball of rage than actual human being at time. ” Evan rolled his eyes as the others laughed at his description of Cooper. If there was one thing to be said about him, it was that Cooper never felt emotions halfway (Neither of the Anderson brothers did). “I bugged him for weeks to get him to talk to me, I think eventually he started replying just to get me to leave him alone. It wasn’t easy at first, with him being so angry all the time, but at some point he just let his guard down and we started having real conversations. He started paying attention in classes, got the teachers on his side, made amends with the Warblers, and slowly just became a generally more likable guy. You know, Cooper’s a real charmer when he wants to be, he has that face, so it wasn’t that hard for him to get the others to like him again once he apologized.”

“Well it isn’t like he’s the first guy that came to Dalton angry either.” James pointed out.

“There’s been boys here worst than him.” Josh added, leaning over so that he could rest his chin on top of Wes’s head, much to the shorter boy’s annoyance.

“Cooper’s violence was harmless”

“Mostly kept to words”

“And singing.”

“His initiation was pretty tame compared to some.”

“One guy smashed a guitar during his initiation.”

“And there was one guy that just yelled for three straight minutes and called it singing.”

“Cooper was angry,”

“But he wasn’t on the level of total mayhem.”

Evan blinked slowly at the twins, before narrowing his eyes suspiciously at them. “I don’t remember either of those initiations. And Cooper’s was before you got here.”

The twins smiled innocently in return, standing up in unison and walking away before Evan could question them any further, disappearing into the crowd of boys as quickly as they appeared.

Evan frowned as he watch them go, before turning back to Wes and David, asking “Did that seem odd to you two or was it just me?”

“Everything about the twins is odd, Evan.” Wes replied wearily, rubbing his temples like the twins had given him a headache. “I learned not to question them sometime after realizing they had no life before Dalton on record.”

“How did you find that out?” David asked, looking over at his best friend surprised.

“You learn a lot of things when you’re the one who has to register the Warblers for every competition.” Wes said flatly, rolling his eyes at the mere thought of all the paperwork he had gone over before Sectionals and Regionals both. “Normally the teacher advisor does it all, but since we don’t have one and because I got voted head of the council, I am the one who gets stuck with the hours of paperwork.”

For a moment silence fell over the group. And then David shared a look with Evan, and at the same time they both began laughing.

“Man I am so glad they chose you instead of me.”

* * *

Every boy gets ten minutes to prepare for their initiation, and Blaine was no exception to this rule even if it wasn’t a traditional initiation. Still, after only seven minutes Cooper was sticking his head out to tell the boys they were ready, and after Wes banged his gavel and a hush fell over the boys, Cooper pulled back the curtains, revealing a stage full of chairs and benches and old props from behind the stage. Standing in the middle of it all was Blaine, who looked confident even with all eyes on him. The music started, and Cooper walked over to join Blaine, just in time for his brother to start singing.

_I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!_

Cooper rolled his eyes, reaching over to mess up Blaine’s hair as he sang in response

_Well I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair_

Blaine fixed his hair, jumping up on the nearest chair so that he was slightly taller than Cooper, looking down on him as he sang  
  
_I'm gonna be the mane event_  
_Like no king was before_  
_I'm brushing up on looking down_ _  
_ I'm working on my roar

Cooper looked up at Blaine unimpressed at his attempted roar, crossing his arms.

_Thus far a rather uninspiring thing_

Blaine ignored Cooper, jumping off the chair and dancing towards the other side of the stage.

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

Cooper followed Blaine, stopping a few inches from him arms still crossed. As they sang the next part back and forth Blaine danced from side to side of his brother, making faces whenever Coop’s back was to him.

_No one saying do this_

_Now when I said that--_

_No one saying be there_

_What I meant was--_

_No one saying stop that_

_What you don't realize--_

_No one saying see here_

_Now see here!_

Blaine took off across the stage running, and Cooper followed behind at slightly slower pace.

_Free to run around all day_

_That's definitely out--_

Blaine jumped on top of a bench towards the end of the stage, throwing his arms out with a grin as he sang

_Free to do it all my way!_

Cooper stopped under Blaine, pointing a finger at him and beckoning him to come down.  
  
_I think it's time that you and I_  
_Arranged a heart-to-heart_

Blaine jumped off the bench, running across the stage and singing over his shoulder at Cooper

 _Kings don't need advice_ _  
_ _From little hornbills for a start_

Cooper watched as Blaine ran around the stage, rolling his eyes again at how childish his brother was behaving, deciding finally to chase after him as he sang his last line

 _If this is where the monarchy is headed_  
_Count me out_  
_Out of service, out of Africa_  
_I wouldn't hang about_ _  
This child is getting wildly out of wing_

Blaine didn’t seem to notice Cooper, still running through the props gleefully.

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_

There was a pause in the singing for a moment as the music played, and Blaine used this moment to leap from chair to chair as Cooper followed him on the ground, jumping off of the last one when he was center stage.

Cooper came to a stop beside Blaine just in time for the younger Anderson to start singing again, and he shoved Cooper out of the way as he rushed to the left

_Everybody look left_

Cooper, who had started following Blaine was pushed to the side again as Blaine rushed towards the other side of the stage singing

_Everybody look right_

Blaine made his way back to center stage, standing in front of Cooper with his arms out dramatically

 _Everywhere you look I'm_ _  
_ _Standing in the spotlight_

_Not Yet!_

Cooper pushed Blaine out of the way when he sang his line, but Blaine hardly seemed phased. Instead he turned and began parkouring his way up to the top of a possibly unsteady pile of props. And though no one had asked them to, several boys in the audience took the time to sing the next part

 _Let every creature go for broke and sing_  
_Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing_ _  
_ It's gonna be King Simba's finest fling

Blaine was nearly near the top of the pile when he sang his first line, and he jumped on it carefully as he sang the second one.

 _Oh, I just can't wait to be king!_ _  
_ _Oh, he just can't wait to be king!_

Blaine held his hands out again in a dramatic pose, and the pile wobbled unsteadily underneath him

_Oh, I just can't wait..._

Blaine held the note, jumping off the top of the pile and sliding down the side of it, falling to his knees as he hit the ground, so that he could slide across the stage as he finished

_To be king!_

Cooper came up behind Blaine as the music ended, hauling his brother to his feet just in time for the applause to erupt from the audience, followed by the overly loud cheers of the twins as they charged the stage, picking Blaine up and squishing him in a hug that the other Marauders soon joined in with. They were all talking over one another, and their noise mixed with that of the others boys made it so Blaine could hardly understand a word coming out of anyone’s mouths.

But that was okay. Blaine didn’t have to understand their words to know what they were saying, the looks on their faces and the tone of their voices were all he needed to tell: They were all proud of him, and of the performance he had just given.

* * *

Wes sent the rest of the Warblers back to their rooms when things began to calm down, but the Marauders hung back to help Blaine and Cooper put away all of the things they had dragged out. Including the massive pile of props that had all but collapsed when Blaine jumped off of it.

“I don’t understand how you two set all of this up so quickly.” Mason marveled, shaking his head at the sheer amount of things scattered around the stage. “I didn’t even know we had all of this stuff.”

“Most of it’s left over from old school plays and musicals and stuff.” Jeff said as he helped Nick carry one of the benches back behind the stage again. “Dalton used to put on a musical every year with Haverly, but about ten years ago or so we started having a lot of scheduling conflicts, then Haverly’s drama teacher quit, and we haven’t done one since. Which is a shame, because I’ve always wanted to be in a musical.”

“He’s in drama.” Nick explained to the others when he noticed the strange looks they were all sending Jeff, who was now holding a box of props and sighing wistfully. “And boy is he dramatic.”  
  
“You love me for it.” Jeff replied instantly, kissing Nick’s cheek and grinning when he started to blush. “Besides, I’m not the only dramatic one.”

“Cooper and Blaine were pretty dramatic tonight.” Wes agreed, looking over at the brothers who were busy sorting props, though they paused at the sound of their names and glanced up briefly at the others. “It was almost as if they had practiced that number before.”

“We have.” Cooper confirmed, going back to sorting the props without a second thought. “We used to perform it for our mom all the time.”

“S-She liked it w-when we would s-sing.” Blaine added, blushing slightly as he spoke because he knew the others were all staring at them, though he didn’t risk looking up to see their faces. “W-we performed a l-lot of songs f-for her.”

“Are you telling us that there are more songs you can do this for?” Evan asked incredulous and Blaine blushed brighter, ducking his head more before nodding.

“M-Mostly Disney. All of t-the L-Little Mermaid s-songs, and L-Lion King. T-that was Coop’s f-favorite.” Blaine said, his face turned so that he didn’t see the smirk that crossed his brother’s face, though he did hear the words he said next.

“You should see Blaine perform ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’. He is incredible with it, one time when he was six-” Cooper’s sentence was cut off as Blaine pushed him over, a glare on his very red face.

“Y-You weren’t s-supposed t-to mention t-that!” Blaine exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands so that he wouldn’t have to see the others. “W-we made a d-deal.”

“But we’re curious now.” The twins pouted from across the room. “We want to know the story.”

“When we were six and our mother was off getting help, and Blaine and I were staying in a temporary foster home,” Cooper started quickly, smirking when Blaine only groaned loudly, burying his face further in his hands as his face grew more and more red. “Blaine’s class watched the Little Mermaid in school, and Blaine apparently got up during ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ and started to dance and sing along with Ursula. The teachers thought it was pretty amusing, but he still got in trouble because he interrupted the movie.”

“Awww,” The twins cooed, laughing when all Blaine did was flip them off in return. “Baby Ariel’s first public performance.”

“First but not last.” Cooper agreed, messing up Blaine’s hair affectionately, which caused the others to all laugh when Blaine shoved him off away harshly in return.

“Not if tonight was any indicator.” Wes nodded, a slight smirk on his face as he looked around at the others. This was the moment. It was time for them to compliment the shit out of Blaine. “You were incredible on stage tonight, Blaine.”

“You looked like you belonged up there.” David added, the first to catch on to what Wes was doing.

“You could be lead next year if you keep this up.” Evan smirked, laughing lightly when Blaine looked up at them. His face was completely red, but even still you could tell. He knew exactly what they were up to.

“You could be on Broadway with your talent.” Blaine narrowed his eyes at Mason when he spoke, despite the fact he was still blushing very hard. Oh he knew exactly what they were doing.

And they were going to pay for it.

* * *

**BestArtistYoullMeet: I am trapped in my bedroom what the fuck.**

**KeepYouInLine: Good morning to you too Mason.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: There is no time for pleasantries I am trapped.**

**Gavel &Me: How are you trapped???**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: prank.jpg  
** **Somebody filled my entire room with cups of water.**

**MinuteMan: At least you’ll never go thirsty.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: That doesn’t help the fact that I AM T R A P P E D**

**WarblerLead: @GredAndForge was this you??**

**GredAndForge: Whilst we are flattered you automatically assume it was us  
** **We can assure you it was not.**

**KeepYouInLine: Then who was it?**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: ....**

**Gavel &Me: Blaine??**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I did warn you.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: YOU DID THIS???**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Connor and I did but yes.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: It was Blaine’s idea I just helped.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: You were warned. Now you must pay the price.**

**MinuteMan: I’m sorry since when did Blaine get so dark??**

**WarblerLead: Blaine takes revenge very seriously.**

**GredAndForge: Should we be scared?**

**WarblerLead: He’s not going to do anything dangerous but,,,, probably**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: That’s great and all but can one of you save me  
** **I really need to pee and the bathroom is all the way across the room.**

**GredAndForge: We’ll go.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: And so it begins.**

* * *

**KeepYouInLine: I-**

**WarblerLead: Blaine you little shit.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: :)**

**KeepYouInLine: How did you even do this? We were only gone for a few hours.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: It’s amazing the things you can accomplish when you’re bent on revenge.**

**Gavel &Me: Connor why are you helping Blaine? ** **  
** **Also @KeepYouInLine and @WarblerLead, what happened?**

**WarblerLead: This is going to take hours to clean up.**

**KeepYouInLine: Blaine covered our room in tinfoil.  
** **Shinyroom.jpg**

**MinuteMan: I’m concerned to ask where you even got that much tinfoil.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I have my ways.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: When a man shows up at your room with thirty boxes of tinfoil and bent on revenge you don’t ask questions.  
** **Besides, you have to admit this is incredibly funny.**

**WarblerLead: It most certainly is not.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Maybe you can use all that tinfoil to keep away the aliens.**

**WarblerLead: Blaine Devon Anderson!**

**AThousandYears: Aliens?**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Cooper used to be obsessed with aliens and were convinced they were going to abduct him one day, so he used to wear tin foil hats around the house.**

**GredAndForge: WHAT**

**ABiPie: Same tbh**

**WarblerLead: I WAS 9  
** **AND YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?**

* * *

**Gavel &Me: I keep waiting to see who Blaine is going to prank next.**

**MinuteMan: I’m genuinely worried about what he’s going to do.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Uh Wes, I think you’re next.**

**Gavel &Me: Why would you say that? **

**ExplodingCharlie: Well uh, you might just want to see for yourself.  
** **Meet me outside.**

**MinuteMan: Oh dear.**

* * *

**Gavel &Me: MY CAR  
** **MY PRECIOUS BABY NO**

**ExplodingCharlie: It isn’t that bad....**

**Gavel &Me: ITS RUINED**

**MinuteMan: Uhh...**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Relax it washes off**

**Gavel &Me: IT MAY WASH OFF ON THE OUTSIDE BUT IT CAN NEVER LEAVE THE SCARS YOU LEFT ON HER INSIDE. ** **  
** **SHE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME**

**ExplodingCharlie: Wescryingcar.jpg  
** **I’m concerned with how much he loves this car.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: That stuff literally washes off so easily.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: It was hard to get it on there without smudging it.**

**WarblerLead: Wes loves his car more than he loves his girlfriend though.**

**MinuteMan: I can confirm this considering I live with him.  
** **Also why can’t I find any of my left shoes? I was going to go down and help Wes, but I don’t have any shoes...**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: hehehe**

**MinuteMan: HOW DID YOU PULL THAT OFF  
** **YOU WERE DOWNSTAIRS NOT THAT LONG AGO**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: We did it while you slept last night.**

**PianoMan: This started Thursday, it’s Saturday now, please tell me this will all be done by the time I get back tomorrow.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: If all goes as planned.**

**WarblerLead: That sounded really ominous.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: 5 down, 5 to go.**

**TheBiPie: Why is my toothbrush frozen?**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: 3 to go.**

**MinuteMan: ??**

**AThousandYears: My toothbrush is also frozen.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Why would you freeze a toothbrush??**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: To be an inconvenience and annoyance.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Petty revenge.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: Yeah or that.**

* * *

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Why did I just hear Josh and James both shriek really loudly from their room??**

**ExplodingCharlie: It is 6am on a Sunday why are you awake?**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: The twins are right next door to me.  
** **They yell very loudly.  
** **Why are you up?** ****  
**  
** **ExplodingCharlie: Julius’s plane comes in at 9 and I want to be there when he arrives.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Cute.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Are the twins still yelling?**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: A little.** **  
I guess I should go check on them.**

**ExplodingCharlie: It’s probably another one of Blaine’s pranks.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Hopefully.  
****I’ll let you know.**  

* * *

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Oh my god I am laughing so hard right now.**

**ExplodingCharlie: What happened?**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Okay so I walked into the twins room to see what was wrong, only to find their room covered in dolls.**

**ExplodingCharlie: oh no**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Clown Dolls.**

**ExplodingCharlie Oh No**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Josh and James are huddled in one corner just giving these things the stink eye when I walk in right  
** **When all of a sudden I hit one and it begins to talk**

**ExplodingCharlie: I shouldn’t be laughing at this oh my god.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: The twins took one look at the talking doll and like fled out of the room and down the hallway.  
** **Leaving me in the middle of these clown dolls laughing my butt off.**

**ExplodingCharlie: I always forget they’re afraid of clowns.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Yeah same.** **  
** **I have no idea how Blaine found out but I’m glad he did. That was the highlight of my day.**

* * *

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Oh my god.  
** **I feel so bad I had no idea you were afraid of clowns.  
** **They were just supposed to creep you out a little not scare you.  
** **I’m so sorry oh my god.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Where did you even get that many clown dolls?  
** **I’ve just spent like two hours picking them up from all over the twins room and there were so many???**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: My grandmother was into weird things.** **  
** **Are the twins okay??**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: I don’t know, I haven’t seen them since they bolted from the room.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Oh my god. I feel so bad now.  
** **I really didn’t mean to scare them, I thought it would be funny.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: Well Charlie and I thought it was funny.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: That’s because you’re not afraid of clowns like they apparently are.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: True...  
** **The twins are really good about taking a joke though, I’m sure they won’t be mad at you.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I really hope you’re right.**

**GredAndForge: He is.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Josh! James!**

**GredAndForge: Hello Ariel.  
** **Nice prank you pulled there.** ****  
**Next time leave clowns out of it though.** **  
** **Especially talking ones.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: So you’re not mad at me?**

**GredAndForge: You didn’t know.  
** **And besides, you’ve already apologized.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I really am sorry.**

**GredAndForge: We know.  
** **Just remember no more clowns and we will be good.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Deal.**

* * *

**PianoMan: Uhhhh**

**ExplodingCharlie: You know, I knew something seemed off about the number of pranks Blaine had pulled.**

**PianoMan: This had to have taken hours oh my god.**

**WarblerLead: Uh-Oh did you two get hit by Blaine too?**

**ExplodingCharlie: Yeah...**

**PianoMan: Not in the same way you guys did though.**

**MinuteMan: What do you mean?**

**ExplodingCharlie: Stickymessages.jpg  
** **Our room is covered in these.  
** ****  
**PianoMan: There’s some pictures too.** **  
** **Some of just Charlie and me, some of all us.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Just sweet messages and cute pictures everywhere.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I figured you two could use it.  
** **You know, some sweet messages and cute pictures after the shitty week you’ve had.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: He’s been working on this one since Thursday.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: Charlie never went back to his room, and I knew it was going to take time, so I started early.**

**GredAndForge: Awwww**

**PianoMan: These are some really amazing pictures, where did you get them?**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: I may I have stole some of them.**

**BestArtistYoullMeet: I gave him most of them.**

**ConFromAcrossThePond: He even called Charlie’s aunt to get that one picture of you two by Charlie’s bed.**

**ExplodingCharlie: This is from when we were kids. When my mom and dad were still alive.**

**PianoMan: You making Charlie cry.**

**ExplodingCharlie: You’re crying too.**

**PianoMan: Yeah, I am.  
** **Thank you Blaine.**

**ExplodingCharlie: Thanks Blaine.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: You’re welcome.  
** **The next time you guys do some shit like that though don’t expect me to be so nice.**

**GredAndForge: Are you saying you would prank us all again?**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: If the need arose, absolutely.**

**WarblerLead: And here you see the natural state of Blaine Anderson, when he is petty as fuck.**

**KeepYouInLine: BrotheronBrother.jpg  
** **Well Blaine just pushed Cooper on the floor and then sat on him.**

**TheLittleMerBlaine: He deserved it.**

**Gavel &Me: And on that note I am going to back out of this conversation, Goodnight. **

**MinuteMan: It’s 1pm????**

**Gavel &Me: Goodnight. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. That took me a lot longer than I expected, I'm so sorry. I've just been dealing with a lot of writers block lately, so if it's not up to usual standards than that's why.  
> I hoped you enjoyed it anyways, I had a pretty fun time writing it, though I was debating on several different songs for Blaine to sing before I settled. I mostly just liked the idea of Blaine and Cooper having just a bunch of songs they can perform on will at basically any given time because they've practiced them so much. What can they say, they're the life of the party.


End file.
